Oni
by Lanse
Summary: Legends speak of a fearsome creature living on the forbidden mountain. Escaping to its domain, one woman will discover just how real a legend can be. 2005 RKRC romanceWAFF runner up.
1. Escape to the Forbidden Mountain

A/N- Here is my first RK fanfiction. For those who are familiar with the other stories I've posted, please don't be disappointed in how short the chapters might feel in this story. That's just how the cookie crumbles.

I wouldn't consider this story excessively fantasy driving, it just has that feel to it so that's why I classified it as that, sort of fairytale-ish.

Disclaimer: How it pains me to admit that the marvelous characters of Rurouni Kenshin do not belong to me. However that does not prevent me from manipulating their world.

Summary: Legends speak of a fearsome creature living on the forbidden mountain. Escaping into its domain, one woman will discover just how real a legend can be.

Escape to the Forbidden Mountain

Chapter 1

She lay where she fell, unmoving, the faint breath of life within her the only proof that she was not a part of the snow covered landscape. A few passing critters paused to sniff the lump of cloth and flesh, alert and uncertain when they detected the distinct scent of human. Hours passed, but it was on the dawning of the next day that she finally stirred. Powdered snow clung to her raven hair, her ivory skin frosted white hiding the once rosy cheeks of a once healthy young woman.

The shine had long since faded from her sapphire eyes and she willed them to focus on the ground beneath her numb hands. Seeing the blue tinge of her slender fingers brought sharp awareness of her desperate plight. She wanted to sleep, more than anything she wanted to give in to the weakness saturating her limbs and fall into blessed painless sleep. But to sleep was to die.

By the will to live she was standing on trembling legs and by the will to survive, she walked. She had lost her shoes two or three days before and wrapped cloth around her torn and injured feet. Even this cloth was beginning to tear free and she walked with a shuffling limp because the numbness of the cold eliminated the pain, leaving only the stiffness of weakened, dying extremities.

There was not another soul for miles to look upon her misery, to wonder why someone so young and once beautiful was struggling so fiercely against an inevitable death. There was no one to save her and she had ceased to hope for such. If the snows of winter did not claim her, the not so distant past would. But as long as her heart beat within her, she would not surrender.

Time could have passed quickly or slowly, but her steps continued to shuffle, her breath rasping from blue crystal lips, her dull eyes open but unfocused in the direction she faced. She stumbled on a tree root hidden in the deep drifts and the ground rushed up to embrace her. Soft puffs of white fluffed into the air as she crumpled into the snow.

Her breath escaped her with a shudder and she lay limp, empty of strength. _I have no more strength. I cannot stand. I cannot walk. There is no more hope._

Even as she understood this, her fading gaze snapped into focus on the distant horizon. _Is that…is it possible…no. It is only a vision taunting me in my final hour._

_Get up! You cannot die here! You cannot die! You cannot die!_

Her body moved as if by its own volition and she stood. Suddenly she realized the vision was not fading but getting closer with each forced step. For the first time in many days, hope blossomed in her heart that she might live just a little longer.

It stood before her dark and sullen, solitary in a small meadow surrounded by the ever silent, ever forgiving forest. In her eyes it was heaven, a sanctuary created out of the fabric of fantasy for her alone. It's amazing what a spark of hope can do for the defeated. Her steps quickened, became a little more sure and soon she stood on the small, worn down porch. Reaching for the handle, relief flooded through her as it gave to her touch and the door opened.

A few more steps and the icy winds of winter could no longer reach her. The door seemed to close on its own and finding herself sheltered from the cruel world, she surrendered to her body. She crumpled into a heap and fell without trouble into a kinder, unconscious existence.

Secluded in the forest in a rundown, abandoned cabin, on a floor covered with the dust of ages, Kaoru Kamiya slept a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Pain woke her.

Sharp, tingling pain in her fingers and toes woke her with the acute knowledge that she was still alive. Opening her eyes confirmed that she indeed lived and in a few moments her numbed mind grasped onto the truth of her surroundings. She had found shelter where none should exist. From her position on the floor, she took notice of what grade of shelter she had been blessed with.

It was sturdy and strong, built by one who took pride in his work, but obviously no one had lived in it for years. The dirt she laid in was thick and musty. Kaoru shivered and knew that if she cared to live to see another day, she must find water and warmth. She was stiff and pained, but in time she stood on her own strength. A box beside the hearth was filled to the brim with wood that she found to be aged and eaten through. Bugs scattered when she pulled a log free to place in the hearth and she squeaked but lacked the strength to leap away. They scurried on without noticing her and she decided she would give them the same courtesy.

It seemed to take her forever to stack three logs and then she sat and stared at them, wondering how she was going to start a fire. _If there is wood, maybe there is a tinderbox._ It was in a small clay jar beside the hearth. She struggled with it for a few minutes before a spark took to the dry rot wood.

Warm tears crept from her eyes at the warmth that reached out to her. Kaoru curled up on the filthy floor before the fire and slept again, finding peace from the pain that was seeping into her waking limbs.

She woke only to feed the fire, conscious long enough to drag another piece of wood from the box and push it into the life-giving flames. By the third or fourth waking, she realized it had been decided she would not die any time soon and she became aware of more than just the pain in her frostbitten limbs. Her throat ached mercilessly and her stomach felt like a rock in her gut.

_Water. I must have water._

A searching glance found a bucket near the door and a firm argument with her legs had her on her feet reaching for it. When she opened the door, she was blinded momentarily by the bright field of white. Stumbling forward off the porch into ankle deep snow, she fell to her knees and scooped the white fluff into the bucket, ignorant of the cold seeping through her tattered clothes.

When she rose and shuffled back to the porch, she caught sight of a large woodpile under a sloped roof beside the cabin. Many years ago, someone had intended to return to this cabin and never did. Pushing the thought away, Kaoru went inside and set her bucket of snow near the fire. Sleep claimed her again and when she woke, a small amount of water awaited her in the bucket. She slurped it greedily, not caring that it burned her raw throat. Not a drop remained and she sighed even as her stomach clenched at the foreign substance.

From her seat beside the fire, she allowed her gaze to take in details of the sanctuary she had happened upon. She found food in some bins, vegetables old and dried out, but she ravenously attacked them without thought. Her body would make her pay for it later, but for the time she needed strength regardless of where it came from.

It occurred to her that if someone had cared enough to stock the woodpile and food bins, then perhaps there was more to find and she just might survive the winter after all. A clumsy search rewarded her with several tools and a dusty but comfortable futon with blankets of which she eagerly embraced. What difference did a little dust make when she herself was filthy beyond recognition? She was too tired to care and that night Kaoru did not sleep on a hard floor. Neither was she afraid to embrace the next morning.

The first few days passed in much the same order. She melted snow on a continuous basis as a bucket full of snow yielded very little water. While there was a great amount of the dried out foodstuffs, she knew it would not last her the whole winter. So she resorted to making stews with her melted water. It wasn't hard to reconcile herself to the lack of flavor, for she was certain it was more do to the fact that she could not cook in the first place than that her food was ancient.

She slept when she was not scooping snow, hauling wood, or cooking. Her body refused to function when it did not need to. Kaoru didn't mind. Sleeping saved her the trouble of remembering why she was here in the first place.

It seemed as though two weeks had passed and she began to dread going outside. Her clothes were threadbare and the bindings on her feet had long since disintegrated. The cabin creaked with a surly wind that found its way up the mountain and Kaoru shivered in anticipation of the storm it promised. The futon and blankets were beaten and aired while she hauled in extra wood and gathered as much snow as she could in preparation, biting her teeth against the hot pain biting through her bare feet as she trudged through the snow.

The storm was well underway by the time she revived the feeling in her lower extremities beside the fire. The wind howled like a wild animal and Kaoru shuddered at the fury of its power. What prevented it from crushing the tiny little cabin in its grasp? Who would miss the woman it harbored inside or find her remains decades later and wonder what brought her to rest in such a secluded spot on the forbidden mountain?

Kaoru crawled onto the futon and wrapped herself in the freshened blankets as if an extra layer of cloth possessed the magic to protect her from man and nature's hatred. Halfway into the raging night, sleep found her and she fell victim to the memories and dreams that had shunned her till then.

* * *

She woke to silence and for a moment she wondered if everything had been nothing more than a dream. Pulling a blanket with her and wrapping it tightly around her shoulders, she limped to the door. Snow fell steadily from the calm gray sky and she knew the storm was far from over. Already the drifts were spilling onto the porch. Kaoru was grateful for her forethought in gathering extra wood and with such high drifts crowding the cabin, she wouldn't have to go far for snow to melt by the hearth.

She closed the door on the winter and stood staring at her new home, empty and quiet. For the first time since her arrival, she felt restless. Her eyes turned to the other doors she had not yet explored and she decided this would be a good day to do so. She was rewarded with the unexpected.

"Someone planned to return here," she spoke to the empty cabin as she fingered the cloth she discovered. There were two gis, both dark green, as well as two dark gray hakamas. As she held them up for inspection, she found they would fit her remarkably well.

"He must not be a very large man," she said and was pleased with the sound of her own voice. Having removed the clothes from the shelf, she saw tucked behind them socks and sandals._ Someone is watching over me, _she thought as tears crowded her eyes.

A previous search had rewarded her with soap and with eagerness Kaoru spent the rest of her day melting enough snow to clean her new home, clothes, and greatly neglected body. In her excitement, she was not so gentle in removing the grime from her long black hair, but her fingers knew to be cautious as they grazed over the tender wound in the flesh of her right shoulder.

Evening found her sitting before the fire, combing her damp hair with her fingers and staring off into the flames, finding peace and comfort in her solitude. It had been a crazy impulse to seek safety on the slopes of the forbidden mountain, Oni's domain.

Every child in the surrounding villages was told stories from birth about the monsters that roamed the storm-ridden mountainside. Beasts that could devour a full-grown man in two bites were sometimes sighted on the outskirts of the villages, but every sighting told a different story about the mysterious creatures. They could have been nothing more than bears, but always it was sworn to that they had horns and breathed fire.

Of greater fear than the beasts was the master of the beasts, the creature that breathed the storms that ravaged the tiny villages below with savage winds and torrential rains. The Oni of this mountain was said to be born of fire and consumed all who dared to trespass within his realm with his molten glare. It was the stories about Oni that had always terrified Kaoru when she was young, more so than the beasts that stalked the perimeters of the villages. The creature that ruled over such beasts deserved such fear.

It was said his touch burned like embers upon the skin of the innocent. His teeth and claws could slice a man in half and he did not spare women or children. Kaoru shivered and then laughed at herself.

"They're just stories, Kaoru," she scolded herself lightly. "If you really believed them then why would you seek refuge in Oni's mountain?"

Her smile faded_. Because I'm hoping they __**do **__believe the stories and won't come looking for me._ She frowned as her eyes drifted to the clothes drying beside the fire. "Someone wasn't afraid of Oni. I wonder who built this cabin and why he never came back. It couldn't be…" she swallowed hard and then laughed nervously, pushing the thought aside as she crawled into bed.

"Don't be silly, Kaoru," she murmured as the wind began to stir to life outside. "This could not be Oni's cabin."

Despite the fire that warmed the small cabin and the pile of blankets she burrowed in, the uncertainty of the unknown chilled her and she lay shivering as the storm once again swallowed the mountain, ripping at the cabin and trees alike.

"Father," she whispered as she closed her eyes in fear. "I'm scared."


	2. Unseen Hand

A/N- I'm glad everyone is enjoying this story so far. I want to clarify one point though so no one will be confused or disappointed. Since this story takes place ten years after the Bakumatsu I do portray Kenshin as both Rurouni and Battousai. Just FYI.

Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh. Oops, wrong fic. I do not own Rurouni Kenshin either. I own a sunrise cactus plant that never flowers. Now I'm depressed, stupid disclaimer.

Unseen Hand

Chapter 2

There was something both reassuring and disconcerting about her discovery. There was a loose board behind the cupboard she had found the clothes in. Behind the board was a sword. Kaoru didn't know what she had been expecting to find, but not this. When she pulled it out, she saw there was not one but two swords, the second significantly shorter than the other.

"The two swords of the samurai," she spoke softly as she set them on the floor before her. She stared at them for some time, noting the tie that bound the katana in its sheath. These swords had not been used for several years, if the decadence of the cabin had not been a hint as to that. The binding on the sword told her that whoever had left them hidden had no desire to wield the blade again.

Finally she reached for it and pulled on the hilt. The tie gave and the sword slid free from its sheath with a soft metal rasp. Light flickered off the fine silver blade and Kaoru knew its owner had cared for the weapon with the greatest attention. Its blade was sharp and rust free, no doubt sharpened and shined with, if not loving at least respectful strokes.

It was heavier than she was used to, she noted as she stood and gripped it firmly just as her father had taught her. Her injured shoulder was not happy about the weight, but she found herself quickly forgetting to favor it. There was something intensely possessive about the weapon. Power seemed woven into its steel, coursing up the length of the blade and reaching into her arms. Startled by the bizarre feeling, she dropped the sword and it clanged loudly on the floor.

"Unreal," she muttered as she stared at the sword. It took nerve for her to touch it again, and when she did, she wondered if she had imagined the first impression. She didn't feel anything reaching out to her from the weapon, but she could not shake the distinct feeling that the sword had a dark history clinging to it.

Her mind turned to a more practical thought. "Now maybe I can catch some meat to enhance my food supply."

With that she tied her hair up in a pony tail, slid the sword through the belt of her new found clothes and left the safety of her cabin for the storm changed world. She sunk in the snow to just above her knees and suddenly questioned her decision to leave the cabin. _No, I must have food and just after the storm it's possible some animals may leave their dens on the same search._

She had barely reached the tree line when she felt exhausted from the struggle, but determination and stubbornness would not let her turn back. After a moments rest, she pressed on and soon found herself surrounded once again by trees.

It struck her how truly alone she was up here on the forbidden mountain and she smiled. Never had she thought she would live beyond those first few days. It was suicide to enter the thick forest in winter without provisions, but with death following so quickly and hungrily behind her, she had no choice.

_I can be happy here_, she thought to herself, trying to ignore the fact that as long as she stayed she would never see another person's face. The stillness of the forest and the silence of the mountain would be her company and protect her from the not so distant past.

"I've been alone most of my life," she told the forest softly. "I can be happy here, and safe."

There were no sounds to draw her attention, no motion or shadow that should not have been, yet in that moment she had an intense feeling that she was not as alone as she believed. Her hand rested on the hilt of the sword by instinct and she glanced around nervously with eyes that still had not regained their previous luster.

_The forest is playing tricks on me_, she told herself and shuddered as if she could shake the feeling away, but it didn't quite leave her. She merely pushed it to the back of her mind as she could see nothing and no one watching her.

But she did find her meal. Well, it would have been her meal if she had caught it. The rabbit blended perfectly with the landscape, but its scurrying movements caught her eye. Kaoru silently pulled the sword free and held it prepared before her, waiting as still as a statue as the unsuspecting creature went about its business and hopped nearer.

_Now!_ Her leap would have been superb, if not for the uncalculated hindrance of the deep snow. She landed with a terrific flop, snow scattering in a furious white cloud as she sunk several feet into the drift. She lay face down, arms and sword extended, two feet deep in powder. After a moment she pushed herself up onto her knees and shook snow from her hair, frowning after the rabbit that had paused in its flee to stare back at her and no doubt laugh at the picture she presented.

Kaoru chuckled softly and then sighed. "I'm too tired to chase you now. I guess this is your lucky day." She ungracefully used the sword to pull herself up and was startled to find her legs trembling and weak. It had been a long time since she had exerted so much energy and it frightened her as she realized how far she must have come from the cabin.

She sheathed the sword and turned back in her tracks, relieved that she at least had her own footprints to follow back to the safety of her new home. Darkness was beginning to creep up on her and she silently urged her body to hurry. In reply, her legs buckled.

Kaoru fell with a gasp to her knees, her fingers curling in the cold snow. _No! I am not going to go through this again! I know there is safety just ahead of me and I know I can make it back!_

She pulled the sword, sheath and all, free from her belt and used it to pull herself back up. As expected, her legs shook severely and she was grateful she had something so solid to lean on. _Forgive me for disrespecting you_, she silently told the weapon, but she had the distinct feeling it did not care one way or the other, that respect was something it had long since lost.

Weak and weary, she stumbled back into the meadow and up to the porch of her cabin. Another tasteless soup awaited her, but at least she knew it was no longer the only option. She needed meat to regain her strength. It might prove even more time consuming and exhausting hunting said meat, but not trying was a far worse option. If she was to survive the winter on the forbidden mountain, she must hunt successfully.

She collapsed gratefully before the hearth and shoved another log into the dying fire, wincing at the pain shooting through her arm. Warmth blossomed in her shoulder and she shoved her fingers beneath her gi to find her skin sticky. The wound had reopened. It had not fully closed up the first time before she had escaped into the forest. The range of motion as she swung the sword must have been more than the tender wound could bear.

With a weary sigh, Kaoru set about locating the bandages she had found several days before during one of her searches. If there was anything the cabin was not lacking, it was bandages. _This will present a problem with my hunting techniques_, she decided as she bound the wound tightly and washed the blood from her gi.

The revived pain made it difficult for her to sleep, but if there was anything she could do, it was sleep. Only then did she not have to think about how she was going to survive the long lonely winter ahead.

* * *

_Doesn't look like he is coming out_, Himura the Battousai thought to himself as he watched the cabin from his vantage point. It had been years since he had wintered on this side of the mountain, so it shouldn't have surprised him to find someone else had taken up residence in his cabin. But he could not help being irritated, having anticipated shelter and a meal after being trapped in the storm the last few nights. After all it was **his **cabin. He had built it himself up in the mountain where people were too afraid to go so that he would not be bothered.

Long before he reached it he had smelled smoke. It curled lazily from the little funnel in the roof and warned him before he even got close that there was someone where someone should not be. He watched vigilantly to see who the squatter was, when he emerged mid-day after the storm.

It was a young samurai wearing a familiar dark green gi and gray hakama with a sword residing readily at his waist. His long black hair was pulled up high even as Battousai wore his, to keep it from interfering with battle.

_He must be very young_, Battousai thought as he realized the boy could not be taller than himself when he stepped off the porch and sunk deep into the snow. There was purpose in his stride as he made a beeline for the trees, pausing at the edge for a moment before continuing on.

_I wonder what he is up to. _

He followed the young samurai from a good distance, stopping when he stopped so that he might not make any noise to draw attention. At one point the boy seemed to stiffen and spun quickly to scan the forest warily. His gaze drifted right over the Battousai's hiding place without even taking notice of the man.

_A bit skittish, he is_, Battousai thought wryly as the boy turned away and continued further into the forest. Finally he found what he was looking for and Battousai watched with amusement as the boy pulled his sword free and held it ready for the attack. His stance was perfect, but his calculations off as he sailed only a short distance into the air and flopped down into the snow in a flurry of white powder puffs. Battousai chuckled softly as he stared at the place where the boy had disappeared into the drift. After a moment he sat up and shook his head, conceding victory to his prey. Using the sword, he pushed himself to his feet. Instead of making a second attempt, he sheathed his sword and turned back in his tracks.

_Why would he give up so quickly_, Battousai wondered as he stood to follow. After only a short distance, the young samurai fell to his knees in the snow. He pulled his sheathed sword free and used it to pull himself back up, swaying uncertainly when he regained his feet. As he continued down the path leaning heavily on his sword, the Battousai understood. The young samurai was injured and this most likely was why he had sought refuge in the forbidden mountain.

He followed the boy all the way back to the cabin, oddly relieved when the door closed behind him and he was safe inside the cabin again. Watching his stumbling walk and determination to not give in to his weakness struck a cord in Battousai's heart. He could identify with the boy in his solitude and injured state and decided then that he would do nothing to remove him from his cabin.

_You need it more than I_, he decided and spent the rest of the night seeking his own shelter to wait out the winter. When dawn woke him, he eagerly set out for his favored vantage point and awaited the reappearance of his neighbor, but the boy did not show until nearly dusk.

Battousai watched his slow movements very carefully, noting how he favored his right shoulder as he hauled in a few pieces of wood and scooped snow into a bucket. These few simple tasks seemed to leave the boy exhausted and he disappeared back into the cabin for the rest of the night. There would be no hunting for him today and judging by the way he was moving, there would be no hunting for some time to come.

_As far as I remember there was not much food stored in that cabin and much of what was there would have rotted over the years. He will not live long without meat._

At this, the red-haired swordsman turned away from his view of the cabin and stalked off into the woods, completely unnoticed by the one he watched.

* * *

Kaoru sat up with a jolt, wincing as her shoulder protested the fast action. The damage had been more than she thought, now that the wound seemed to bleed and clot alternately at its own will. She could not afford to lose blood in her already weak state, so it was necessary for her to baby the wound and keep her arm as immobile as possible. This meant no hunting.

_What was that_, she wondered as she glanced around the cabin. Light seeping through the window told her it was another new day and she must have slept halfway into it. _So what woke me? I definitely heard something._

Pushing the blankets aside, she cautiously stood and stared at the door. _Is there something outside? An animal maybe?_ Her mouth watered at the thought and she quickly reached for the sword.

_Wait. I cannot risk further injury to my shoulder and that sword is so heavy I cannot wield it with one hand._ So she grabbed the short sword and pulled it free from its sheath, balancing it in her left hand. It did not have the range of a katana, but range was little use to her if she had no power behind the blow.

Glancing out the window, she saw nothing out of the ordinary in the meadow, so she cracked the door and tentatively peered out. There was still nothing standing out in the too white landscape so Kaoru flung the door wide and stepped out onto the porch.

_It must have been my imagination_, she decided with a sigh and turned to go back inside. Her foot caught on something and she stumbled to keep her standing. _What the…_

She glanced down and stared dumbly at the rabbit sprawled before her feet. A few pokes with her short sword assured her it was quite dead so she stooped and lifted it by its ears.

"Where did you come from?" she wondered and then her eyes widened. Her hand tightened on the sword as she glanced around but there was no motion, no person to be found. Without a second thought, Kaoru hurried back inside and shut the door, sliding the security bar in place. She took a few steps back and continued to stare at the door, half expecting someone or something to start pounding on it in an effort to get in.

All she could hear was her own heavy breathing.

Who? Why? For a certainty there was a who. Rabbits didn't just die on one's front step. The noise that woke her must have been whoever had left it in the process of leaving it. Then why? Why would anyone care to help her? How did they know she was in need of meat? Did they know or was it some sort of a peace offering?

Kaoru shuddered as the stories came back full force on her, childhood images of the Oni that stalked the mountain. If it lived and it had found her, then why would it help her? She didn't know, nor did she trust the unseen hand and its gift with the hidden meaning. But she was not going to let it go to waste.

She cleaned and quartered the animal, and stewed it far longer than necessary for good measure. Her stomach craved the new food eagerly, but her wariness overpowered it and she ate slowly and thoughtfully.

When she lay down to sleep, her eyes stayed riveted on the barred door, the sharp reality that she was no longer alone on the mountain sinking in. Despite a pleasantly full stomach, she slept restlessly, tormented by the images of her fear-stricken mind. Now nothing could make her forget that she was on the forbidden mountain, because Oni had found her.

* * *

To my reviewers:

**Pinay Tiger-** I've read a lot of KK stories where Kaoru was portrayed as being weak or easily mowed over by circumstances and though they might be well written, I found them too difficult to read because in my opinion, what I love best and what Kenshin loves best about her is her determination and strong spirit. So I'm glad you think I portrayed her well as a survivor. I'm hoping through the story I demonstrate both sides of her personality in good balance, strength and weakness.

**Ruby Soul- **Is Battousai Oni? Hmm. Well it is only a legend… right? (grin)

Also thanks to **Princess Shadowcat, materialthief06, blueunknown, Kairi7, Khrysalis, loveywhatever, Jbella, SirisAnkh, and mukyuu tenshi **for your reviews.


	3. Faceless Friends and Fears

A/N- Yeah, I find it pretty amusing that Battousai thinks Kaoru is a boy. But then again, it is because he is watching her from a distance and she is wearing men's clothing and was carrying a sword. Quite unladylike of course. That's our Kaoru.

Disclaimer: RK is not mine, obviously.

Faceless Friends and Fears

Chapter 3

Battousai watched the young samurai with great amusement. Even at that distance, he could tell the boy had been unnerved by his gift, by the reality that he was no longer alone on the forbidden mountain. A whole day passed without him so much as poking his head out of the cabin, but by the second day he had to venture out to gather more snow for water and more wood. He did not carry his sword and Battousai guessed from the way he continued to favor his right shoulder that he could not have so much as lifted it. The boy's first attempt at hunting must have aggravated a deep wound.

Learning from that, the boy samurai kept the short sword ready and within easy access of his left hand. He glanced around nervously and struggled to finish his necessary tasks as quickly as possible, which wasn't by much. He tended to limp and the exhaustion of his obvious injury and whatever hidden ones he suffered had taken a notable toll. The boy was in serious trouble on his own and too determined to accept the obvious end that awaited him.

For this, Battousai admired him. _This one is a fighter._

When the boy once again disappeared inside the cabin, the red-haired swordsman left his hiding place and circled down the hillside and around the meadow. He would cross through on the boy's own footprints, leaving his hidden. It was quite within his abilities to complete the task without so much as a whisper of a sound, but it was necessary to make just enough noise so that the boy would know he had been there.

It was a quail this time, unlucky enough to find itself caught in one of Battousai's many snares set upon the mountain. He never failed to eat well during the winters there and found some gratification in sharing his plenty with the injured boy. He didn't want him to die.

No doubt the younger samurai was formulating his own ideas about the one who had left a rabbit on his doorstep, perhaps wondering if the unknown benefactor might be an enemy in disguise. Battousai would leave him to such imaginings because he had no wish to come face to face with the boy either.

He didn't want any to know who or where he was, and had enjoyed such anonymity for a long time. No reason to destroy it now just because of his desire to help someone in need.

Dropping the quail in much the same place as he had left the rabbit two days before, Battousai turned swiftly on his heel, careful to tap his sheath against the door before he vanished in a flash of color.

Kaoru stared frozen at the door she had entered just scarcely minutes before. There was no mistaking the sound. Would it be the same as before, another animal left as a gift? Or might this time prove to be the ambush she expected? Whoever it was could not have missed her out in the open as she gathered snow and wood. They had been watching her and waiting for the moment when she entered inside before coming into the meadow. But she had seen no one! And she had looked hard!

She tried to busy herself with some other task and forget about the unnerving truth, but truth could not be shaken. Gripping her short sword firmly she marched up to the door and took a deep breath before lifting the security bar and cracking it open. The meadow was empty as always and on the step was a second offering, a quail.

Kaoru opened the door wide and stepped out, narrowing her eyes as she scanned every tree, every shadow, every bit of vegetation within her view for any sign of her benefactor. There weren't even footprints beyond her own. She hesitantly picked up the quail and cast a quick glance around the meadow before returning to the safety of the cabin, dropping the bar back in place.

_Maybe Oni is fattening me up to eat me_, she decided later as she stared into the quail stew bubbling over the fire. _In that case, he has a long way to go._ The thought made her chuckle despite the unnerving situation she was now in. In any case, she had found herself in someone's favor and whoever her neighbor was, she felt the exchange should be fair. But she had nothing to offer.

_What could I give him, or it, in exchange?_ She allowed her gaze to drift thoughtfully around the cabin. _If this is Oni's cabin and he has decided to let me stay, then that means he had to find himself shelter elsewhere. I wonder…_ Her gaze fell to her bedding and a smile spread across her face. _One can never have too many blankets when sleeping outside._

So when Oni returned the next day with another rabbit, he found a blanket folded neatly in the same spot he always left his kills. His friendship had been accepted by the timid young samurai.

There were no more gifts that Kaoru could offer her unknown friend, but that did not stop the continuous supply of fresh meat. It did wonders for her emaciated body and soon the wound in her arm stopped seeping. She tried to spend a little more time outside, no matter how nerve racking it was since she could never shake the feeling that she was being watched and she knew for a certainty that she was. Her woodpile was beginning to thin down, so she would venture out to the edge of the trees and collect what twigs and logs she could find and haul with the use of only one arm.

She imagined she presented a comical figure to whoever watched, but she was grateful for the activity. Her rise in activity was dully noted and larger quantities of meat began to show as if her friend knew her appetite was growing with her returning strength. It still bothered her that she had nothing to give him in return, but she suspected this mattered little to him as the offerings did not cease.

The door stayed barred. After all, she knew nothing more about this person than the meat he offered. In her mind she called him Oni because the whole situation both amused and frightened her. The short sword was never far from her hand and she was always tense and watchful when outside, but even still never caught a glimpse of her neighbor.

As the days passed with this same routine, Kaoru decided there was something comforting about having a neighbor on the forbidden mountain, even if that neighbor might be the malevolent Oni himself who found amusement in providing for the only person desperate enough to trespass on his realm.

There was no shortage to the rabbits, quails and the occasional pheasant that appeared on her doorstep. The day before the storm struck, she was given a deer.

As usual, she never approached the door immediately after the obvious tap on her door sounded. She didn't want to see the face of her neighbor anymore then he wanted to be seen. Never had she expected something so large and she wondered where he had found it since she had seen no sign of deer in the area.

Kneeling beside the animal, she realized it must have been carried some distance to be found on her doorstep. It had already been bled. The other animals had no doubt been captured in a snare trap, but the small deer had one clean slice across its neck, telling of a quick and relatively painless death.

She stared uncertainly at the wound on the animal, wondering over the hand that had inflicted such a powerful and flawless blow.

_Claws sharper than man-made steel, Oni can slice through a man's bones as if through silk. _

She shivered, no longer comforted by the knowledge that it was still just a story. Myth was only the truth a few years later, was it not? It was a struggle dragging it inside with the use of only one arm. As her injured shoulder began to heal and she felt more tempted to use it she had fashioned a sling to remind her not to. That left her with the lean and pull technique to drag the carcass inside to be cleaned.

It awarded her a great deal of meat, enough for three days. _I wonder why he gave me so much?_ Time went quickly as she cooked some of the meat and smoked and dried the rest. At some point she realized the wind had picked up and within another hour the mountain was once again shrouded in storm.

_He must have known,_ she reflected as she paused in her work. That meant she would not be seeing…well hearing her friend for several days. As the wind howled maliciously and the cabin creaked, Kaoru stoked her fire until it flamed brilliantly.

"I hope he is someplace safe," she told the fire and it snapped in reply. On nights like this, when the wind was full of such sound and fury, Kaoru felt her solitude sharply. She wondered if anyone missed her, or if her name had been forgotten among the villages.

It seemed as if years had passed when it had only been weeks since her village was attacked and burned… since she had been captured. She didn't permit herself to remember the night, but cut off from even her mysterious friend, the memories found her.

Kaoru leaped to her feet and spun around quickly as she felt fingers run through her hair, but she was alone in the cabin, alone with the shadows. Invisible hands gripped her, grasped at her clothes, touched her where no man should and she cried out in terror.

"Leave me alone!" she shrieked as she grasped the short sword and swiped it through the empty air. Amid the fervor of the storm she heard the laughter and it drove her mad. His face formed before her and she threw the sword with wicked accuracy, but it passed through the phantom and splintered into the wall.

Suddenly unarmed, she dove for the katana and drew it free as she rolled.

"Look! The girl wants to play!"

"Stay away from me!" she cried. He merely laughed and she leaped in terrified rage. The sword split the air and the phantom leaped away. No sooner did she touch ground and she whipped around, her sword sliding in a swift sideswipe. The metal resonated viciously as it struck wood and Kaoru felt the hilt tear from her grip, fire searing through her shoulder.

Kaoru clutched her wound and dropped to her knees, helpless against her enemy, helpless against the vengeance he would bring. She crawled into the corner and rocked incessantly.

"Please, don't hurt me," she whispered.

The cries of the dying roared in her ears drowning out his laughter and she knew there would be no mercy. She was covered in blood, the blood of the children who believed in her ability to protect them, but she had failed. She wanted to join them, but that was not to be her fate. The enemy was not going to let her die so easily.

_I cannot die. I cannot die. I must live and warn the others. If the others know, they can fight. They can stop them._ Her fingers curled beneath her and in her mind she remembered the touch of metal. He grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and she clenched her teeth against the pain.

His breath was hot and rancid. "I want you to scream for me," he breathed into her ear.

Her eyes flamed and she granted his wish. All her strength was thrown in the blow, but he leaped back at the last possible moment when he saw the glint of metal in her hand, the dagger scraping across his cheek. Seeing her blunder, Kaoru shifted her stance and backhanded him with the hilt.

Freedom had been won, but at what cost? She was the sole survivor of the village and for the sake of life, she pressed on until she was nearly dead to reach the next village and to warn them of the renegade band of swordsmen hot on her trail. Three days later, they attacked and Kaoru fled into the mountains to trust her fate to Oni rather than the man with the scar on his left cheek.

But for the scar she may never recognize him should he come hunting her. It had been dark that night and she knew nothing of his eyes or hair or face. How many men in Japan had a scar on their left cheek? For this she would know her enemy.

"You're not real," she whispered to the wavering phantom. "You can't hurt me."

The wind howled, the snow fell, and Kaoru rocked in the corner of her cabin staring down the memories no longer held at bay. _I am safe on this mountain_, she told herself. _They will not come into this mountain. They can't… they won't…_

Hot tears streamed down her face and she curled up into a ball in her corner.

By the third day when the wind died down, her fever broke. It wasn't until the delirium passed that she realized she had been sick at all. Was it fear or stress that brought it on, she didn't know. She felt weaker for its passing but throughout the whole terrible experience, was never short on food. Oni's deer was the only thread to reality she had as she battled her past in the confines of the cabin.

It was a miracle that her wound did not become infected since it had reopened again. The cabin had not fared well either. There were multiple gashes in the walls and she felt guilty that she had inflicted such damage on the building.

For the length and fury of the storm, it had not snowed as much as she expected. Kaoru took a deep gratified breath as she stepped out into the fresh clean world. She had wrapped a blanket around herself, wary of the lingering warmth that could easily break into another nightmare tainted fever. Her gaze drifted across the meadow and she stiffened as she spotted movement.

_Someone is there_, she realized and watched the spot intently, wondering if it might be her mysterious neighbor. She did not see it again, but there was no doubt in her mind she had seen motion. Above all else, the unknown terrified her and she returned inside to consider how she might repair the gashes she had left in the walls rather than dwell on what she had seen. She told herself it was just an animal stretching its legs after the storm. Perhaps it might even be Oni, checking up on her. After all, who else would be on his mountain in the dead of a winter storm?

* * *

To my reviewers:

**Sakuya Kaleido-** yes, she has become that skinny but also Battousai is watching her from a distance, so he can't see the features of her face. Since she is wearing men's clothes, his to be exact, carrying a sword and has her hair up just like him, it is easy for him to presume her to be a boy. Besides, what kind of woman in her right mind would be all alone up in the forbidden mountain?

**Mizz-Clumsy-** This takes places ten years after the Bakumatsu, basically the same time when Kenshin and Kaoru meet in the anime so they are the same ages as in the anime/manga. But of course Kaoru does not live in Tokyo but a more isolated area below the forbidden mountain. Kenshin has his sakabatou (reverse-blade sword), but the two swords Kaoru found are the ones he used as Battousai. In this fic, Kenshin is mostly rurouni but he is both aware and accepting of his Battousai persona and until he interacts with Kaoru, I will refer to him as Battousai to demonstrate his distance from humanity. That's why he built the cabin in the first place, as an isolated sanctuary from others.


	4. Helpless

Standard Disclaimer Applies

Helpless

Chapter 4

Kaoru smiled when she heard the thump on the porch. She had been waiting for it for two days, for the confirmation that her unknown friend had survived the storm as well. Brushing her hands clean, she walked to the door and lifted the bar.

Swinging the door wide, her eyes were focused on the porch step where the offering was always left. What she saw were four feet. Lifting her stare, she barely had time to focus on the faces when she was suddenly shoved back. She struck the floor hard and blinked startled at the men who stood above her.

"You smell that, Fujo?" the tallest said as he stepped past her and toward the hearth. "Food!"

Fujo closed the door behind him and dropped the bar in place. "Good. I'm starved." His glance fell down to Kaoru and she felt the old terror return.

"What do you know, Shun, you were right. It **is** a girl. Mighty pretty too."

"Food first, Fujo," he threw over his shoulder. "She may come in handy later."

Fujo sighed. "Fine."

Kaoru tried to squirm away as he reached for her, but he seized her injured arm and she instinctively went limp so as not to hurt herself.

"That's a good girl," he grinned as he pulled her to her feet and steered her to a corner where he pushed her back down again. "There will be plenty of time for play later. Like Shun said, food comes first. It's been a while since we've eaten meat."

Kaoru silently glared at him as he tied her wrists quickly, noting he didn't seem to pay as much attention to what he was doing as he was to her face.

"Come on, Fujo. Eat it while it's hot," his friend called and the man pushed away from her.

"What is it anyway?"

Shun made a thoughtful face as he chewed on a particularly tough piece. "I think its deer, but it could be rabbit."

Fujo took a huge swallow and almost gagged. "You call this food?" He turned a glare on Kaoru. "Don't you know how to cook, woman?"

Kaoru maintained her silence as she watched them gobble up the last of her stew. She still had a little jerky left, but they would soon find it and swallow that down as well. Her friend always brought her more just when she ran out. Somehow he always seemed to know exactly when she needed food.

Her eyes drifted to the door. _He will come today. When he does, they will know I'm not alone up here. Maybe they will leave then. But what if they don't? What if they decide to look for him? I don't want him to get hurt._

_What are you talking about, Kaoru? He's Oni!_

She clung to the childish ideal she had created for her invisible friend because it caused hope to blossom in her heart. If he cared enough to bring her food, maybe he would save her. He would come and he would know something was wrong because he seemed to know everything, and he would save her. Because he was the fearsome Oni and this was his mountain.

He didn't come.

* * *

Battousai stretched his limbs before setting out on his daily walk that would eventually bring him to the hillside above his cabin where the young samurai lived. Two days had passed after the storm now and his young friend would surely be needing more food. It was difficult to tell from such a distance, but he had a feeling the boy was not doing well.

The day after the storm, the boy had left the cabin for only a few minutes. He held a blanket wrapped tightly around his shoulders as he stood on the porch and gazed over the fresh white snowfall. He didn't gather snow or wood as he should have after three days trapped inside during the storm.

_Perhaps I'll check on him first, before checking my traps._ Deciding on this, Battousai followed the familiar path he had shaped along the mountainside. He had found comfortable shelter in a cave some distance from the cabin. This was best as he knew at some point the boy would regain his strength and become more active. There was no reason for their paths to cross no matter how lonely either felt.

All seemed peaceful and quiet, smoke curling lazily from the funnel in the roof. But marring the clean white snow of the meadow was the distinct path of footprints heading straight from the cabin into the woods.

_Looks like he's feeling better, having ventured off into the woods today_, Battousai decided and turned away to set about the business of checking his traps. There was a good yield two days after the storm and he decided he would leave his friend with two rabbits and a quail. He was a growing, healing boy after all and with the passing of the last storm, Battousai was feeling especially grateful for the blanket his young friend had offered many days back in exchange for the meat. Caves weren't nearly as warm as cabins after all.

He hummed softly to himself as he walked, thoroughly content with the peace he was enjoying this winter. There was something reassuring about knowing he was not entirely alone. Not that he would ever need help from anyone if trouble should arise, but sometimes a body needed to know that there was another soul nearby. He was certain the young samurai felt the same way because long cold winters made one feel his solitude much more keenly.

It was a round about route, he took a different one every time when circling back to the meadow so that the boy would not know from where he had come from. With the fresh snowfall it would be difficult to reach the cabin without leaving prints as the only prints the boy had left led straight up to the cabin's door. He usually walked in the boy's prints and he was never the wiser or else gave it little thought.

_Surely he didn't come this far out_, Battousai thought as he stumbled upon the deep tracks in the snow. Amber eyes narrowed as he studied the width of the path, the amount of snow displaced, and realized it had been not one young boy to pass through the woods but two grown men. He knew the boy's prints and he was too light to leave such deep tracks.

_Someone else is on the mountain._ With that he quickened his pace, knowing exactly where those deep prints led. _Friends or enemies?_ It would be hard to say as he knew nothing about the boy. He may have been expecting someone to join him, but who would make the trek in the middle of winter, and in a storm no less?

Battousai's pace slowed as he considered just how much he had assumed of the young samurai. _Is it possible he had been sent to find me? Did anyone know I would be back on the mountain? Perhaps because he was injured he had to wait for his friends to back him up in the hunt._

Fire flickered in his eyes as he considered the possibility that he had been providing for the enemy the entire time. He watched the cabin for hours but saw no movement from within. No one came out and the smoke continued to curl lazily from the funnel.

When darkness fell, Battousai moved. Even as he stood on the porch, he could hear nothing within and could believe the cabin to be empty if he didn't know better. His hand curled around the hilt of his sword as he concentrated on the souls inside.

There were three. Their ki was difficult to untangle at first as two were very much alike and the third was very weak, almost undetectable. The stronger two had the taste of blood on them and seemed both eager and satisfied at the moment. The only reason he was able to notice the third was because of the stark contrast it posed compared to the others…innocence.

It was a confusing impression and he narrowed his eyes in concentration as he tried to focus on that weaker ki. Beneath the innocence was determination to overshadow intense fear, but the determination seemed to be slipping. Either the person was loosing hope or falling asleep. Why would someone with such powerful resolve possess such a weak ki unless…

Battousai turned on his heal and softly padded away, careful to brush out the tracks he had left so that none would know he had ever been there. The situation had become clear, although there were some aspects that still confused him. He suspected the weaker ki belonged to the boy, weak because of his injury and possible illness. But the boy wore his sword as a samurai and never had he encountered another swordsman with such an innocent essence.

_Tomorrow_, he thought grimly. _They cannot stay inside forever._

* * *

Stiffness woke her and Kaoru opened her eyes to find that all that she had hoped to be just another nightmare was in fact real. Despite the hard floor and the cold that shook her when the fire died down, she had managed to sleep.

The two samurai, Fujo and Shun had gambled on who got the futon, but they both got the blankets and all of her food. She had not eaten for a whole day now and she suspected she would not get to eat this day either. Her shoulder ached relentlessly, but the wound had not reopened so she considered herself lucky. The last thing she wanted them to know was how weak and injured she was.

As they slept, she gazed around the room to weigh her options. She was definitely on her own, she had decided. Oni never came. How desperate she had felt that night, her heart heavy within her as she awaited the familiar tap on her door. But he never came and she wondered why. Did he know there were others with her? Did he decide she could fend for herself now? Or worse, did something happen to him during the storm?

Kaoru shivered at the thought of her faceless friend lying somewhere on the mountain frozen to death. Her plight was far more desperate but her heart ached for him, the one who for some unknown reason had decided she should live by his mercy. A tear started to trickle down her cheek and she wiped it away.

_Now is not the time to give up! There must be a way I can escape these men. They are almost twice my size in weight and strength, but this I can use against them. I only need to get my hands on a sword!_

It mattered not that they were swordsmen too and possibly very good at their respective techniques. Plus Kaoru could not wield a katana with her injury, but a short sword could prove quite effective in her hands especially if they underestimated her abilities to fight.

_I would not have a chance in these close quarters. I must face them outside. The snow will be a hindrance, but they could easily overpower me in here. _She shuddered at the thought, fearful of when their focus turned away from food and towards the helpless maiden they had trussed up in the corner.

She dared not move, not knowing how deep they slept and before long they began to stir, Fujo the first to sit up and stretch his stiff limbs. He stared dumbly into the hearth before it dawned on him where he was and his head swiveled around to look at her.

"Survived the night, did we?" he asked cheerfully and Kaoru answered him with a glare.

A disgruntled moan announced Shun's awareness as he reluctantly stirred out of the futon and the blankets wrapped around him. "It's too early to be cheerful, Fujo," he groaned.

"When you wake up to what I woke up to, it can't be helped," the man grinned as he continued to eye Kaoru. His friend followed the glance and all weariness fled from his face.

"Say, she is a pretty thing," he commented and then he turned thoughtful. "I bet she would fetch quite a price on the market."

"Sure she would, if we could get her there. I don't want to trek through another storm like that again and it's a long walk to Domi."

"First things first, Fujo, we need more food. Looks like we ate up the rest of her meat. After we take account of our supplies, then we'll decide what to do with her. Damaged goods don't fetch as much coin, you know."

Fujo frowned and subsided. "Fine. But if things aren't looking promising, I get first dibs on her. After all, you did win the bed."

Shun chuckled and lumbered to his feet. "Fair enough." He checked his swords and turned back towards Kaoru who had watched the whole exchange in masked silence. She knew exactly what they were plotting with regards to her future, but Shun's words had promised her a little time of her own to think.

"Woman, where did you get that meat? You don't look like you could have caught it on your own."

Kaoru's dull gaze lifted up to his face as his words register. "I didn't," she said softly.

Fujo was immediately alert. "If you didn't catch it then who did?"

"Oni," she said simply and they stared at her.

"You can't be serious," Shun scoffed but there was a tinge in his voice that told Kaoru he was well aware of the stories.

"You said so yourself, I couldn't catch a deer on my own," she said as she smiled within. "I found it in the woods, throat slit as perfectly as you please."

"She's lying," Fujo snapped. "Those stories were made up to scare the kids."

Shun still held that thoughtful look. "Oni, huh? Then why are you still alive? He doesn't care for women or children anymore than he does for men who trespass on his mountain."

Kaoru shrugged and tried not to wince. "I amuse him, I guess. The deer is not all he has left for me."

The men exchanged wary glances and Kaoru took the opportunity to elaborate on the anxiety she knew was building within them.

"I've seen him too," she lied but her voice sounded convincing to even herself. "He's everything the legends say. His eyes burn with golden fire and his claws glint silver like steel, blood never clinging to him no matter how much he spills. He moves like the wind too and the trees shiver when he passes by."

"Enough!" Fujo shouted as he backhanded her harshly. Her head snapped back and cracked against the wall with the blow, effectively silencing her.

"No more lies from you, woman. Come on, Shun. We need food and water."

"I suppose we can leave her here," Shun decided. "But you should tie her up a little tighter. I've got a feeling she'd run if given the chance."

Fujo grinned wickedly. "It'd be my pleasure."

Kaoru's head was still ringing from the blow and the thought to fight barely entered her mind when reached for her. He drove his short sword into the floor of the cabin and bound her hands to the hilt above her head. Then he drove another short sword, probably her own, into the floor and bound her ankles as well. She lay stretched out to her full height and barely able to move an inch.

"Don't worry, pet," Fujo whispered as he leaned over her, stroking his hand across her lean stomach. "We'll be back soon enough."

The door closed with a slam and Kaoru was left alone. She struggled against the tight bindings, but was stretched so taunt that she could not get so much as a finger width of give. The rope bit into her skin and she ceased her struggle, terror finally gripping her as her mind turned to what would occur when they returned.

Her embellishment on Oni had done little more than anger them and even she could not believe the stories anymore. _He's gone, whoever he was and I'm on my own._ Tears sprung to her eyes as she stared up at the ceiling above her. _No one will save me._


	5. Hunters and Prey

Standard Disclaimer Applies.

Hunters and Prey

Chapter 5

They were too greedy to be patient and patience was the key to effective hunting. Battousai watched with what could have been amusement if he were not certain these men were nothing more than trouble. Only two of them emerged from the cabin, two men he had never seen before.

For a moment he considered waiting until they were gone before venturing down to the cabin to check on the boy, but there was still the confusion as to just who these people were. Also, he knew nothing about the boy who seemed to be both a swordsman and an innocent all at one time. Knowing the boy was alive was enough for the time being. No, Battousai was more interested in the two unknown men at the moment.

They were skilled with their swords, but terrible hunters. After several failed attempts they gave up on their little expedition and returned to the cabin, all the while completely unaware of the shadow that followed. After some distance, Battousai noticed they were a bit jumpy too. Every tiny sound the forest made had them in a defensive stance with swords drawn.

_Are they expecting trouble? If they came looking for me then they must, but their actions hardly befit those of men on the hunt for another man._ When they returned to the cabin, they hauled in some wood and snow, jobs he had watched the boy perform for several weeks now. Instead of returning to his cave, Battousai settled down in a comfortable spot, intent on watching the whole night through. He wanted to see the boy. He wanted to be certain the suspicions forming in his mind were correct.

Behind that thought was the nagging reminder that since those two men had been unsuccessful in their hunt, the boy too would have nothing to eat. Even with the possibility that the boy might be one of their blood-thirsty lot, he still felt responsible for his health. He had taken it upon himself to provide for the injured young samurai and still found it difficult to believe ill of his mysterious neighbor.

_It will be a cold night_, he reminded himself and tucked his hands into his gi for warmth. Nothing would deter him from his watch.

* * *

Kaoru couldn't believe she had allowed herself to sleep. Not only was her position extremely uncomfortable, but it was highly vulnerable and she only had the promise of future wealth to keep her captors' grubby hands off her.

She jolted when she heard the door slam open and two very disgruntled men stalked in, tracking snow and dirt across the floor.

"Well your Oni didn't leave anything for us to find this time," Fujo sneered as he loomed over her.

Her heart shuddered within and she decided it would be best to placate them instead. "I'm sorry," she spoke softly.

He dropped to his knees and his eyes roved over her extended body hungrily. "Just a children's story," he scoffed and reached out to lay his hand on her stomach. "In any case, if I can't satisfy one hunger—."

"I'm pure," she blurted out when he was nearly on top of her. He stared at her startled for a moment and then grinned, his knee coming down on the floor beside her as he straddled her waist.

"Pure you say?"

"You will get three times my value if I remain untouched," she reminded him.

"Why should I believe that you are? You're far too pretty," he ran his hand through her hair and she felt her stomach lurch.

"I swear it," she whispered. "On my life."

"Leave her be, Fujo," Shun finally interrupted. He had been watching intently, but seemed far more money minded than his companion.

"You believe her, Shun? I think it's just a desperate ploy."

"How old are you, woman?" Shun asked as he stood above her and stared down.

"Eighteen," Kaoru answered honestly and he nodded.

"Leave her be, Fujo. I believe her. Now, lets see if there's anything so much as resembling food left in this place. There may be no more meat, but she might have something…"

"If you let me up," she offered, "I'll get it for you. There are some vegetables left."

Fujo's face brightened and he glanced up at Shun. "Now isn't that hospitable of her?"

They left her wrists bound, but it did not prove to be too much of a hindrance as she pulled out some vegetables to make a stew with. They made her use all of them, stupid fools who didn't know how to make supplies last. But regardless she complied, not wanting to anger them and make them forget her monetary value as a maiden unmolested.

"Either you're a terrible cook or these vegetables are rotten," Shun groaned as he tasted the stew.

"Both," she replied without shame. They didn't spare a drop for her and she retired to her corner as hungry as the night before, but far from cold. Even when the fire died down late into the night, she still did not feel cold. Quite the contrary, she felt inhumanly hot.

_It's come back_, she realized as she brushed the back of her hand across her sweating forehead. _The fever is returning. Soon I'll have no strength at all to protect myself. I must act now!_

With full stomachs, they slept soundly and Kaoru's eyes flickered across the room to rest on the knife still sitting on the table where she had chopped up the vegetables. All the swords were kept close to the men, so the knife would have to do.

She stood cautiously and made no sound as she crossed the room, intent on keeping her feet and reaching that knife before they woke. A sigh of relief eased from her as the rope fell away from her raw wrists, but even then, they did not wake.

Her feverish eyes alighted on the door and she calculated how quickly she would have to move to unbar it and leap through before they would wake. There was no way she could leave without waking them, so she prepared herself for the confrontation. It was well into the night and if she could get to the tree line, there would be shadows to aid her in the cat and mouse fight. Eyes ablaze with determination and more, she gripped the bar and swung it free.

* * *

Battousai was on his feet with sword in hand before he realized what had awaken him. The full moon lit the snow filled meadow with revealing light and his amber eyes followed the scene that was playing out.

A small figure was racing away from the cabin at breakneck speed. Two figures emerged soon after and an angry shout split the night as they launched after the smaller man. Realizing he was not going to make the tree line before he was overtaken, the smaller figure turned in step and faced the oncoming attack. Moonlight glinted across metal in his left hand and Battousai knew instantly this was the boy.

The first man to reach him leaped to tackle him but the boy ducked and the man flew over his back to crash into a drift. No sooner did the first man fall when the second was on him. The boy sidestepped swiftly and thrust with his left hand. A sharp startled cry told Battousai the knife had found its mark.

The boy didn't pause to gloat, knowing it was but a minor wound and once again took off running for the tree line.

Her breath came heavily and her limbs felt leaden as she struggled to maintain a fast pace in the deep snow. Having penetrated deep into the tree line, Kaoru collapsed in a shadow and clutched her chest in an effort to quiet her breathing.

"She stabbed me!" she heard Fujo cry with astonishment and rage. "Forget the money! I'm going to make her pay!"

"Keep your voice down," Shun hissed and Kaoru shuddered as she heard the soft crunching beneath their feet.

No more words passed between them and she strained her ears to keep track of their position. She had lost her only weapon and was now utterly defenseless. Her body was beyond weak from injury, lack of food, and the fever that now gripped her. Even with the full moon above the trees, her eyes had difficulty sorting what was real and what was illusion.

It was best to stay where she was, so she did in hopes that they would pass her by and her strength might return. Soon the forest was gripped with an eerie silence and Kaoru uneasily glanced around.

_I can't hear them. Where could they—_

A rough hand seized her arm and she released a pained cry as she was lifted and thrown down into the snow. She struggled to get up but a tremendous weight shoved her further into the soft powder.

"Thought you could get away did you," Fujo sneered at her. "Lucky for you, it was just a scratch."

"Let me go!" she cried and struck out at him. He seized her wrists and pinned her down, laughing hysterically.

"Let me go," he mocked. "Sure, pet. When I've taught you a lesson."

_No! Someone, anyone, please help me!_

"Fujo!" Shun snapped suddenly and the man above her froze, turning his face slightly away.

"What is it?"

Shun glanced around nervously. "I'm not exactly sure…"

Kaoru felt it too as the wind began to pick up and stir the powdery snow into a mist. The air seemed to crackle with tension and fierce power, the kind she had felt only once before when she held a sword she had found hidden in the cabin. When she dropped the sword, the feeling vanished and she assumed it was all of her imagining. The feeling wasn't going away now. It was getting stronger and she wasn't the only one feeling it.

Fujo's face paled and he seemed to have forgotten about the woman he leaned on until she started to laugh softly in feverish delirium.

"Stop it!" he snapped and he cuffed her across the face. This only made her laughter hysterical and he shook her harshly until she suddenly stopped and stared up at him with dark, colorless eyes.

"Oni," she whispered and then smiled.

"Fujo," Shun spoke urgently. "We've got company."

Fujo leaped to his feet and turned in the direction his friend faced. Despite the bright moonlight, only a shadow stood before them where no shadow should have been able to exist. It looked the outline of a man, but no man of great height or impression. As it started walking closer, they realized it made no sound and appeared to glide on top of the snow rather than sinking in.

"Who are you?" Shun demanded and the wind seemed to stir with greater power in reply. Both men shivered for a moment.

"Forget this," Fujo growled under his breath and he took a step forward towards the shadow, pulling his sword free with a threatening rasp. "I don't care who you are or what you want, but we found her first, you got that?"

The shadow hesitated as if contemplating his words. Suddenly, flames flashed where human eyes should have been and the wind stilled instantly to a deadly calm.

"Oni," Shun whispered just moments before silver light flashed forth from the shadow.

Kaoru heard their screams, screams never meant to come from the voice of a man, and it disturbed her from her delirium. Her ears resounded with the clash of metal, but it sounded unreal and distant. Almost as suddenly as it had started, it ended and the peaceful silence of the forest was all that surrounded her.

_I need to get out of this snow. I need to get inside, warm again… the fever…_

Something touched her and she forced her eyes to open, only half aware of the possibility that Fujo had come back for her.

There was no light, there was no darkness… only fire both fierce and bright; molten gold like the flames of the sun and she did not fight it as it consumed her.

* * *

Also thanks to those chibi shy shadow readers who are reading but not leaving reviews for whatever reason. I know you are out there! (shines flashlight into shadows) There you are! Well, just hope you all are enjoying it either way.


	6. Gentle Hand

Disclaimer: The characters of Rurouni Kenshin are so obviously not of my own creating. However, there are a few background OC's in here that are, but I'm not all too attached to them.

Gentle Hand

Chapter 6

_Her?_ Battousai blinked for a moment as he stared at the men. _The boy is a girl?_ The moment the thought registered, he snarled and reached for his sword. The first man to feel his blade whispered one word before he fell, one he had heard many times before. The second had time to scream, but the forest quickly returned to silence. Battousai glanced over their limp forms, his heated gaze still sparking with anger.

_The young samurai is a woman._ Sheathing his sword he stealthily approached the dark figure sprawled in the snow. For the first time, he gazed upon the face of his neighbor and caught his breath.

Like a broken angel, her black as night hair feathered around her small body, the moonlight casting an unearthly glow upon her young features. No wonder he had mistaken her for a boy, her body was so slight and slender and she wore his old clothing. Had he but seen her face, there would have been no mistake. She was the loveliest creature he had ever laid eyes on.

There was something unnerving about her stillness. _Did she faint?_ He dropped to one knee and tentatively brushed her pale cheek, pulling away sharply when heat exploded beneath his fingers. _She's burning up!_

Slowly her eyes opened, dark and unfocused to stare up at him. Her gaze flickered across his face unseeingly before closing once again, the fever having gripped her senses completely.

"Don't quit on me yet," he ordered softly as he gathered her limp body into his arms. It was like carrying no weight at all and the walk back to the cabin passed quickly.

He gently laid her on the futon and tucked the blankets around her before turning his attention to reviving the dead fire. It was blazing in no time and he set about the task of restocking the wood box beside the hearth and melting snow. When these were done, he once again knelt beside the woman and pulled the blanket away from her.

"Forgive me, Miss," he whispered as he began to check her over for injuries. Deep red welts around her ankles and wrists told him she had been bound tightly and his stomach twisted at her possible fate in such vulnerability. Had he known she was a girl, if he had only known…

There were no broken bones, but as his hands roved searchingly up her body he became increasingly dismayed by her condition. He could feel each individual rib beneath her clothes.

_I was right. She was already sick during the storm. There is no other explanation for her emaciation after all the food I had given her._

He was also right about her previous injury. A deep, ugly stab wound marred the delicate skin of her perfect shoulder. It seemed to be healing reluctantly. From the discoloration of the surrounding skin, he guessed it had been disturbed and reopened several times before it could heal properly. He remembered her wearing a sling at times, no doubt as a reminder not to use her preferred arm, and it was bandaged as well as one could bandage their own shoulder.

_If I remember, I left some medicine here the last time… _he found it tucked away among the large supply of bandages and used this to treat her wound. It would heal quicker with the salve, he knew from experience. He made quick work of it so he could tuck the blanket around her shivering frame before matters became worse.

_I suspect they didn't feed her or give her anything to drink_, he thought grimly as he poured some freshly melted snow into a cup. The manslayer within desired a greater revenge than he permitted himself to exact upon those men. They would wake with broken bones and half frozen and he had to content himself with that knowledge.

He propped her up against his chest and tilted her head back as he brought the cup to her lips. Water trickled down her chin before she choked and swallowed.

"Easy, Miss," he gently warned her though she was barely conscious enough to understand. She didn't swallow as much as he wished, but it was enough for the time being.

_It's going to be a long night_, he realized as he laid her back and covered her up again. He spent it melting snow, stoking the blazing fire, and alternating between forcing her to sip a few drops of water and sponging down her over-heated body.

Halfway towards the morning, she began to murmur incessantly. At first her words were indiscernible. Setting the bucket down he had been about to take outside for more snow, he knelt beside her and listened intently. Her red lips trembled and tears crept down her hot cheeks that he could not resist wiping away.

"The children," she whispered. "Why the children?"

Kenshin frowned. "Who are the children?" he asked.

"They were only children." She shuddered and he clenched her uninjured shoulder should she start thrashing in her feverish dreams.

Her eyes fluttered open at his touch and stared through him, tears flowing freely. "Why did you kill them," she whimpered and he leapt back as if she had struck him.

His reaction was lost on her as her eyes glazed over and she slipped back into unconsciousness, the torment stifled for a time. Kenshin shivered at her accusation, struggling to remind himself that her question had not been directed at him.

_I'm not the only one with a past,_ he mused and forced himself to return to the task he had abandoned for that brief moment.

* * *

He didn't want to leave her alone, but he needed to check his traps. More than anything, she needed food to give her the strength to fight. It was the fastest run around the mountain he had ever made, and productive.

In her barely conscious state she could not chew meat, so he snapped the bones and stewed the marrow and fat into a thick broth. She didn't take to it readily, gagging and coughing more than she ever did with the water. Kenshin cursed himself silently over the mess he had made in his efforts to force feed her, but in the end was rewarded when she finally accepted the broth and kept it down.

With a sigh, he set the empty bowl aside and held her for a weary moment. "You're going to make it," he promised. "I'm not going to give up on you."

By the third feeding, he got the hang of it and very little broth was wasted. Her fever still hadn't broken and when night approached the murmuring began again. Always the children. Why kill the innocent children?

She became restless and agitated in her torment, but was too weak to put up much of a fight. He only had to press her uninjured shoulder and she stilled. By this method he kept her at rest through the duration of the night, until the fever burned itself out.

Her skin was cooler by degrees when he rested his hand on her forehead the next morning. Relief flooded his being and he smiled slightly at her much deserved calm slumber.

_It's not over yet_, he reminded himself and stirred himself to action. There was plenty of meat for him, but the broth was nearly gone. Casting a lingering glance on his sleeping patient, Kenshin stepped out into the cold morning and closed the door behind him.

The traps didn't have much to offer this time, but it would be enough for what he needed. When she regained consciousness, it would not be long before she could take solid food so he was not worried. Never from the moment he first discovered someone had taken up residence in his winter cabin could he have ever imagined this situation. Soon her eyes would look into his with complete awareness and he wondered what she would see.

With a resigned sigh, he pushed open the cabin door and stepped inside. He took five steps before he realized she was gone. He blinked curiously at the empty bed and rumpled blankets for a moment before he felt the presence behind him. With slow cautious movements, he laid the three rabbits on the table and slowly turned to face her.

Her long black hair fell to her waist unkempt and strewn about her. Wild dark eyes stared back at him, but it was the gleaming blade in her left hand that drew his attention.

_Enemy_, was all she thought. He was not Fujo nor Shun, nor anyone she had thought she had ever seen before. Certainly she would remember a man with hair as red as blood. He wore but one sword at his side and did not reach for it as he turned to face her. In any case, he was a man and she was weak and defense was all that mattered.

Her hand tightened on the hilt of the short sword as he began to turn. Light fell across his face, across the scar…the scar on the left cheek…

A murderous shriek rent the silence apart as she leaped, her blade slashing through the air with unexpected speed and power. _I will eliminate you from my dreams!_

Her fever worn mind could not make sense of what happened, even as her muscles struggled to obey by instinct. The breath was stolen from her on impact and she gasped for air. _I will not be beaten!_

She struggled against the strength that pinned her down, clutching her blade even more tightly with the determination that it would find its mark by design or by accident. The pressure on her wrist increased and she felt her grasp weakening until her hand released and the blade clattered to the floor.

The resonating sound seemed to trigger reality and her body slumped in its struggle, accepting defeat both within and without. The pain in her lungs blossomed into a fire and her chest heaved heavily for breath. Above her own gasping, she heard her enemy sigh.

"It is too soon for you to be so active, that it is," he chastised softly and Kaoru looked up at him startled. Blue eyes drew into sharp focus and Kenshin read a mingle of fear and relief in their somber depths.

_It's not him_, was her first thought. There was not one but two scars on this man's face, crisscrossing, and not a trace of malice could be found in his soft violet gaze. In time, when she was able to recall the struggle more clearly, she would realize that in subduing her he had been extraordinarily careful not to hurt her. He had thrown her down on the futon that her head might not strike the floor and the right amount of pressure in the right place had forced her to release her weapon without any pain.

"Who are you," she managed to ask amid her strangled breaths.

"My name is Kenshin Himura. Are you all right, Miss? Your fever only broke just this morning." Even as he said it he brushed his hand across her forehead to check her temperature again.

Kaoru flinched at his touch. The advantage was his and she suspected it would be even if she were completely healthy. Her reaction disturbed him, but he suspected it had much to do with her recent encounter with the other two swordsmen. There was no telling what they had done to her before he had confronted them.

Kaoru blinked and suddenly realized he was no longer holding her down. Glancing around, she saw he had returned to the table with the rabbits he had brought in and was setting about cleaning them. Her short sword was gone too, but she never saw him take it. Next thing she knew she was waking up to the delicious fragrance of cooked meat.

_I slept?_ A blanket had been pulled up over her shoulders and a man was kneeling beside the hearth, stirring something in the cooking pot. _Who?_

"It will be ready soon," he said and she wondered how he knew she was awake. She hadn't even moved.

_Kenshin Himura._ She remembered. She had attacked him and… he was making her dinner? It seemed with each passing moment her mind grasped just a little more. _I remember those men. When they went hunting they tied me… _She tentatively touched her wrist and found they were both bandaged over the cuts she had earned struggling to free herself.

With effort, she sat up and checked her injured shoulder. It was bandaged with the same adept precision as her wrists and it seemed not to pain her as much as it had the last few weeks.

Kenshin watched her with interest as she inspected her wounds and was no doubt coming to a better conclusion regarding him than she had initially. When she finally looked up at him, he offered her a gentle smile.

"Those men," she spoke softly.

"They won't be bothering you anymore, that they won't," he returned and her relief was visible.

Kaoru didn't question him further. She was afraid of the possibilities. Above all else she remembered their screams, the burning heat of golden fire. Had Oni destroyed them or this swordsman before her? What prevented him from hurting her?

Despite his kindly eyes and youthful face that could only be described as beautiful, his aura was fierce. She would have to watch him carefully, that she might see the danger before it could sneak up on her. After all, she was alone on this mountain…except for her friend…

"Was it you?" she asked suddenly and he glanced up at her again with a confused expression.

"I'm sorry?"

"Was it you who left the deer and the rabbits and—."

"Oh no!" Distracted by her question the stew had gotten away from him and the fire snapped and sizzled as it boiled over.

Kaoru could not suppress a small smile as she watched him dance about like a kabuki play trying to save the dinner and not get burned by the sputtering fire. By the time control had been regained and he handed her a bowl of broth, her question had been forgotten.

Kenshin watched her take a few sips before he started eating himself.

"This is very good," she murmured and he smiled.

"Thank you. Maybe tomorrow you can try more than just broth. You are far from well, Miss."

Kaoru blushed slightly, knowing he meant to fatten her up as quickly as possible. She had lost a great deal of weight, but that wasn't any man's business now was it?

The slight coloring in her cheeks was becoming and Kenshin couldn't help stare at her a moment longer. He made a silent pledge then to be the one to restore the brilliance in her tarnished eyes. This nameless young woman had woven a spell over him in her unbridled will to live and fight. Even in the throws of fever when all conscious thought fled her, she fought.

She had sought refuge in the forbidden mountain while injured, knowing doing so most certainly would mean her death. _What could have been so terrible as to force her to come here? Is it the same evil that stole the luster from her young eyes? I wonder what her name is._

He smiled suddenly. "Thank you, Miss."

Kaoru looked up surprised. "For what?"

"For the blanket."

Confusion framed her face for a moment. _Blanket? What blanket? The blanket!_ A shy smile spread across her face. "It was the least I could do."

"It was greatly appreciated," Kenshin assured her. "Would you like more broth, Miss?"

Kaoru glanced down at her empty bowl, surprised that it was empty but even more that she was still hungry. "Yes, please."

He took it from her and filled it generously, hoping she would drink down every last drop. An appetite was an extremely good sign. When he returned the bowl to her, there seemed to be a change in her mood, her anxiety nearly faded.

"You'll be all right, Miss," he assured her and the gaze she cast upon him nearly brought him to his knees. _Has no one cared for you before?_

"My name is Kaoru," she said softly as she met his kindly stare.

Kenshin smiled warmly at her, as he had not done for another human in years. "You will be just fine, Miss Kaoru, that you will."

"I believe you," she admitted and then turned her attention back to her broth. _I believe you because you are my Oni. _


	7. Desperate to Trust

Disclaimer: Not Mine.

Desperate to Trust

Chapter 7

Everything within her body twisted, her insides heaving violently in defiance. Pain seared through her back as spasms wrenched her body_. There's nothing left! There's nothing left!_ But her body continued to revolt until her lips burned from the acid.

A gentle hand alighted on her back and began to move in a circular pattern as the spasms gradually subsided. Kaoru felt weakness flood through her and would have collapsed into her own vomit if not for the strong arm that swept around her. Kenshin pulled her against him and continued to rub her back as she shuddered. Her head rolled limply into his shoulder and she whimpered softly.

"It's okay," he murmured. "It will pass."

She ached throughout but could cling to only one thought. "I'm sorry," she whispered, weary tears creeping down her cheeks.

"For what?"

"I wasted your good food."

Kenshin chuckled softly. "My dear Miss Kaoru!" He tilted her chin up and wiped at the tears staining her pale cheeks, his violet eyes tender and warm. "You just weren't ready yet. It takes time to heal. Don't rush it."

"But—."

"Shh," he pressed a silencing finger to her trembling lips. "No arguments."

Kaoru acquiesce as he gathered her into his arms and lifted her out of the snow. She didn't need a clear head to understand that she was completely at his mercy and could do nothing more than relent. But with a clear head she understood that he had done nothing but what was necessary to heal her. It wasn't his fault her body had revolted so violently to solid food.

He gently laid her on the futon and she sunk into its softness weakly, only half conscious of his fussing as he tucked the blanket around her. As if reading her mind, he soon held a cup of water to her lips and she drank it cautiously, washing the acid taste from her mouth. Kenshin gently brushed her long hair away from her pale face, his fingers lingering a moment longer than necessary.

"Better?" he asked and she nodded slightly.

"Our supply of wood is low. Will you be all right if I go out to gather some?"

_Why does he care so much? No one ever has. _

"Yes," she returned softly and he smiled as if he knew how unsure she really felt.

"I won't be far, I promise."

The silence made her edgy. Any moment she expected Fujo or Shun to come bursting through the door, boasting of how they had slaughtered her friend and would do the same to her in retribution. Contrary to all she believed, she fell prey to the fear.

_Where is he? Where is he?_

Suddenly her ears perked up to an oddly familiar sound. It was rhythmic and steady. He was chopping wood. Smiling with relief, Kaoru closed her eyes and turned her head into the pillow, allowing sleep to take her now that she knew it was safe to do so.

* * *

He had not expected her to react so violently to solid food that first time, but then he could only guess at the level of her undernourishment. Still, she was determined to overcome the weakness and before long her appetite returned ravenously. When she wasn't eating she was sleeping and when he wasn't doing any of the chores, he watched her sleep.

Beauty like hers was rare, blending the innocence of a child and the allure of a woman into something words could not describe. Had he known it was her down in his cabin all this time, could he have stayed away? In time he would find out. She would regain her strength before the winter was over and he would once again leave her to the privacy she deserved. Until then he secretly reveled in the simple tasks of bathing her angelic face and nursing her back to health.

In sleep, her peace was complete. No more nightmares disturbed her and he was spared for a time the oppressive emptiness of her haunted eyes. _She doesn't deserve this pain. _

He didn't mean to wake her, but he suspected she wasn't sleeping as deeply as she pretended to.

"What are you doing?" she asked softly as she propped herself up on her elbow.

Kenshin glanced down at the small tub he had dug out of the snow from behind the cabin. It was what he usually used for laundry when the weather was more agreeable, but it was also the largest tub he had to hold water. At the moment it was barely half full with the water he had been heating on the fire.

"I didn't mean to wake you, Miss Kaoru," he smiled softly.

"You didn't wake me. What are you doing, Kenshin?"

It was all he could do to keep his smile from spreading into a foolish grin. He loved the sound of his name on her lips. The heart of sword never sounded so soft and gentle.

"I thought you might like a bath, Miss Kaoru," he said honestly. "I found this tub under the snow by the wood pile."

Her pale cheeks colored. _Why is he so nice to me? No one has ever cared about what I wanted or needed._

Kenshin's eyes widened as he misread her blush. "As soon as your water is ready, I will go and check the traps, Miss Kaoru, so you will have the cabin to yourself, that you will." He said quickly.

It was all she could do to keep her tears, so she dropped her head that her bangs might hide her eyes. "Thank you, Kenshin."

He stared at her quizzically for a moment and then with a shrug, turned to retrieve another pot of hot water from the fire. Kaoru was a puzzling girl. There was so much mystery about her that called to the wary nature of the Battousai within him. In the last few days, her ki had grown stronger, a good sign that her health would return as long as she remained under his care. Her will to live was almost overpowering. It made him wonder what she had that was so worth living for. As one who had desecrated life, he felt it was something beyond his reach. That made her beyond his reach.

More so than her strength was the innocence that fascinated the Battousai. He had seen her stab a man in defense. She had tried to stab him as well, whether provoked by fever or fear. The wound in her shoulder was inflicted by a katana, and he had seen her hold one like she knew how to use it. Despite all of this, her ki was laced with such purity as he had never encountered before. True, he wasn't given to reading a woman's ki, but such innocence did not naturally coexist with a warrior spirit. Kaoru was a rare jewel of a woman, and the beast within him knew it.

Disturbed by this realization, Kenshin straightened up sharply. Kaoru glanced up at his sudden movement and he offered her a slight, reassuring smile.

"Your water is ready, Miss Kaoru," he said as he turned away and picked up his sword, sliding it through the belt of his hakama. "You might bar the door when I leave," he suggested as he opened it and stepped out without a second glance at her.

Kaoru stared at the door that closed behind him. Something was wrong. She had sensed a slight change in his mood. He had tried to hide it behind his ever-kindly smile, but she was not as untrained in ki sensing as some might think. The change had been very subtle and she might not have noticed it at all if he hadn't reacted to it physically.

"I wonder what he was thinking," she murmured as she pulled herself up unsteadily and walked to the door, sliding the bar in place as he had suggested. Bathing was an exhausting feat, but she took her time since she knew he would take his in checking the traps for food. For the second time since she had arrived on the mountain, she was able to scrub every bit of dirt from her body and she was alarmed to find she could count her ribs through her pale skin.

_Has it really come to that? I would have died long ago if he hadn't…why did he decide to care for me, even before he knew anything about me? _When Kenshin returned, she was sitting before the fire combing her damp hair over her shoulder with her fingers. She paused when the door opened, but didn't turn and from her semi-tense position, Kenshin gathered she had known it was him before he even opened the door.

For a moment he forgot he had left the door open. He just stood there, captured by the picture she presented. The warm glow of the fire lit her features graciously and her damp hair gleamed with an unusual blue-black reflection. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

When she turned her wide eyes toward him in question, it was all he could do to hold his place. More than just the man had fallen prey to her charm in that moment.

"The door," she said softly, almost in question and he snapped out of his trance. With a backward swipe of his hand, the door slammed shut and he strode towards the table, ignoring the start she had given at his sudden display of force.

Kaoru watched him warily for a moment before turning back to the fire, trying to forget the expression that had swept across his face. It had been plain and simple wonder…and the desire to possess the object of wonder. Despite the heat of the fire, she shivered at the reminder that she knew nothing of this man, no matter how kind and considerate he had been so far. And she was alone with him on the mountain. Even the legend of Oni had faded to the background as she knew he could be nothing more than a creation of her own imagination, an explanation to the things she did not understand. Now she understood. There was a man…and her. Nothing in between.

A blanket draped over her shoulders, his strong hands lingering for a moment before pulling away. "You must not catch cold, Miss Kaoru," he said softly and she felt an unearthly tingle snake up her spine. She pulled the blanket close around her and did not turn to meet his gaze.

In silence he prepared their meal and in silence she ate it. Her stomach was finally willing to accept solid food, but not quite so much. This often led to a frown creasing Kenshin's handsome face, but tonight he said nothing. Kaoru found his silence unnerving when she realized that she was not the only one emitting uneasy vibes.

"Is something wrong, Kenshin?" she asked when she could no longer handle the silence. When he turned his wide violet eyes upon her, she could not see a trace of the agitation he felt.

"No, Miss Kaoru," he said with his usual reassuring smile.

She stared at him uncertainly, fingering the edge of her blanket in thought. "Because if something is, you should tell me," she said and raised her chin slightly in confidence. _I'm not a child, to be treated lightly._

He studied her for a moment and she could almost see him weighing the decision of should or should not. Then the smile appeared again and she knew he would tell her nothing.

"I assure you, Miss Kaoru, everything is fine. You should go to sleep, that you should."

Kaoru wondered if the fear she had felt earlier had even been real. How could she fear this man when now she was certain he sought only to protect her from things she knew nothing of? Obedient to his suggestion, she lay down and pulled the blankets around her. Sleep wouldn't come so quickly for her. From where she lay, she watched him for he had not moved from his own place by the fire. Staring into the flames, he looked distant, almost unreachable. Pain came to mind. His was the look she had seen on the faces of old warriors, the ones who lived to regret the life they had and the ones they had taken.

Something fearsome lay within the man she knew as Kenshin Himura. His heart was as dark as it was kind, of this she had no doubt. Perhaps the danger he presented was one she had never dared to think of. He was like a katana; beautiful in its grace and design, but created for the single purpose of taking life. Kenshin carried only one sword as a rurouni, but Kaoru knew he did more than just wield the sword. He **was** the sword. He was beautiful and lethal and yet she trusted him as she had never trusted anyone in her life…and all she knew was his name.

"Go to sleep, Miss Kaoru," he said softly and her eyes widened for he still stared into the flames. After a moment he turned to glance at her, his eyes dark but warm with the glow of the fire.

"Good night, Kenshin," she whispered softly and closed her eyes.

* * *

In Japanese folklore, an Oni is a creature that could sometimes summon powerful storms. I couldn't find a whole lot of information on it so I had to improvise with the legend in my story. You can kind of look at it as being something of an urban legend for the villagers who live around the forbidden mountain.


	8. Duty Calls

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from RK, however there are a few OC's scattered throughout that are of my own creation.

Duty Calls

Chapter 8

Kenshin's lips curled into a smile well hidden beneath his long bangs as he swung the axe mercilessly at the chopping block. He could feel her eyes upon him and could not help wondering at her thoughts. Always she watched him, perhaps never thinking that he could feel the intensity of her gaze, and this only added to his amusement. What did she find so interesting? Was she trying to figure him out? Then she would need a lot more time to stare.

With that entertaining thought, he reached for another log and set it on the block. No reason to let her interest keep him from making good use of his time.

_Does he ever tire,_ Kaoru wondered as she watched him swing the axe with effortless ease. He had been very pleased with her desire to come out of the cabin while he did the chores. The sun was warm and the fresh air would only do her good. So she sat upon the porch wrapped in a blanket, he wasn't taking chances on her getting sicker, and watched him work. He went about as if ignorant of her presence and her gaze, but she knew a man like him could not be unaware.

_I would love to see him in battle_, she thought with a blush. _I bet he's magnificent. _Embarrassed by her own thoughts, she shifted her gaze to the snow covered meadow. She didn't see him glance up at her when he detected a swift change in her ki.

_Those must have been some interesting thoughts_, he mused with a smirk before turning back to the pile of wood.

Kaoru leaned her head against the post and sighed softly. The sun was warm on her face and she closed her eyes in luxury, listening to the rhythmic swing and chop of Kenshin's axe. Such peace had been denied her all her life and now she wanted nothing more than to sit on that porch and listen to Kenshin work. Could she freeze such a moment and carry it with her for the rest of her life?

It took her a moment to recognize the silence that shouldn't have been. Opening her eyes in curiosity, she saw Kenshin standing alert, staring off towards the woods. After a moment, he left the axe in the block and reached for his sword, his gaze never moving from the forest.

"Kenshin?" she asked curiously.

"Go inside, Kaoru," he said evenly and she frowned. He never addressed her so informally before, never without the 'Miss'. But all about him was the energy of a man on guard.

"What's wrong?" she asked tentatively.

"Now," he growled and she flinched at the fierceness of his command. Obediently, she scrambled to her feet and turned to the door.

"Don't open up until I knock twice," he ordered quietly and she nodded as she hurried inside and barred the door.

What could possibly have him so worried? This wasn't a side of him she had ever seen before. She pressed her ear to the door and tried to hear what was going on outside.

Kenshin's tension eased slightly when he heard the bar slide into place across the door. Having her in the open and defenseless agitated him more than he had expected. _Have I really grown so attached to this woman?_

Sliding his sheath through his belt, he stepped out into the meadow and waited for the presence he felt to show itself. He didn't have long to wait when a man strode out of the forest in unabashed confidence.

"What do you want?" Kenshin demanded.

"Is that any way to greet an old comrade?" the tall man grinned and Kenshin's eyes narrowed.

"Eiji," he said finally. "What are you doing up here?"

"Looking for you, of course," the man laughed. "Why else would I come up this cursed mountain in the dead of winter? You are not an easy man to find."

"I like my privacy," he said flatly. "What do you want?"

Eiji sighed. "Ever so unpleasant. Can't you at least invite me in? It's been a rather long walk you know."

"What do you want," Kenshin repeated.

"Trouble came calling," Eiji's expression turned serious in an instant. "A renegade band of swordsmen wrecking havoc on the locals and it's a little more than we can handle. We need you, Battousai."

Kenshin grimaced at the name spoken on another's lips. "How many?"

"We aren't sure. They strike at night so their numbers can't be counted. We estimate between thirty and forty."

"That many?"

"You aren't the only one being called in. It seems there is no police force of any kind in this region. One village has already been burnt to the ground, including the women and children. There was only one survivor, but she disappeared after she warned the next village."

"So they're calling in killers to kill killers?" Kenshin asked flatly.

"Are you including yourself in that lot?" Eiji asked with amusement.

"I don't kill anymore, Eiji," Kenshin reminded him with narrow eyes.

"That doesn't change who you are, Battousai. Whether you agree to come with me or not, at least give me some tea."

Kenshin frowned and glanced towards the cabin. "Two conditions, Eiji," he said and returned his gaze to the taller samurai. His eyes glittered on the verge of gold and Eiji took a step back.

"Yeah?" he asked warily.

"I have a guest with me," he said evenly and Eiji's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "So don't call me Battousai."

"That's only one condition," Eiji pointed out and Kenshin turned away.

"If you touch her, I'll break every bone in your body," he threw over his shoulder as he stepped up onto the porch.

* * *

Kaoru jumped back when she heard the step just outside. _Wait. Wait for two knocks, he said. _Even still, she jumped again when they sounded, two sharp knocks. Steeling herself, she lifted the bar and stepped back. The door opened and she would have been relieved to see Kenshin step in if he didn't have such an intense expression on his face. He paused in the doorway and laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Don't be afraid," he said softly and stepped past her. She stared after him for a moment in confusion and then turned to shut the door he had left open.

"Hello," Eiji said pleasantly to the young woman and she jumped back with a startled yelp. "I'm sorry I startled you," he said quickly when he saw the menacing look that flashed across Kenshin's face. "I'm Eiji."

Kaoru stared at him and then glanced over at Kenshin who immediately wiped the scowl from his face but not before she glimpsed it. He was not pleased with this man's presence, but he had still welcomed him into the cabin.

She turned back to face the tall samurai and realized he was looking at her expectantly. "Kaoru," she said finally.

"A pleasure to meet you, Kao-uh Miss Kaoru," he corrected himself quickly when Kenshin frowned behind her.

She nodded stiffly and stepped away from him. A questioning glance at Kenshin won her a slight reassuring smile and she decided she would do what she had always done. Trust him.

"I'll prepare some tea," she said finally. Kenshin always did that, but she needed something to preoccupy her mind that she might not give into fear.

Eiji took in a quick glance around the cabin that he had only heard whispers of. Battousai was not an easy man to find for no one knew where he lived exactly. Mere rumor led him to the forbidden mountain. There was only one futon in the cabin. Did they share? Did Battousai finally tire of his solitude and bring himself a little treat to pass the winter with? She certainly was a treat to look at. Those long, ebony strands looked to be soft as silk and her face was young and angelic. As she set the tea before him, he offered her a grateful smile and was startled to look into a pair of dark, blue eyes empty of the brilliance of youth and innocence. They were soulless eyes, but even he could sense an unusual strength about her.

This Kaoru was a sad creature. Why would the Battousai bring her when he could have chosen from a hundred women with far more luster and life?

She seated herself beside the fire, pulling a blanket around her shoulders against a chill only she felt and proceeded to ignore them. Eiji raised his cup of tea to Kenshin before sipping it and decided it best to keep his concentration on the man before him.

"Who else is being called," Kenshin asked suddenly and Eiji looked at him surprised. His glance shifted to the woman sitting just beyond before returning back to the red-haired swordsman.

"Are you sure?"

Kenshin nodded once.

"Mostly people you don't like," and proceeded to rattle off some names that made Kenshin's eyes darken.

"They are no better than the men they are being sent to deal with," Kenshin growled.

"Which is why we need you," Eiji said simply. He wasn't sure how much Battousai would allow him to say before the girl. "Are you considering? The pay alone is worth the effort."

Kenshin swallowed his tea silently and stood. "Bring in some logs for the fire," he told the man and turned away. "And take your time."

Eiji nodded knowingly and pushed himself up. "Thank you for the tea, Miss Kaoru," he bowed politely and left to fill Kenshin's request. Kaoru stared after him warily and then shifted her gaze to Kenshin. What was wrong with him? Ever since this man showed up he had been cold and serious.

"Who is he?" she asked the minute the door closed.

"An old acquaintance," Kenshin said as he set about preparing dinner for three.

"I don't like him," she said before she could stop herself. Kenshin glanced at her and smirked though no humor shined in his eyes.

"He might grow on you, Miss Kaoru," he said with a shrug.

"I don't want him to grow on me," she said, emboldened by the ease in which he was talking to her. "What does he want with you?"

Kenshin paused in his preparation and stared at the table before him. _What does he want with __**you**__, not just what does he want. Is she worried? Well, I did dismiss Eiji so I might have a chance to talk to her about this._ He laid the knife down and crossed the room to join her by the fire.

"Something has happened," he said as he kneeled before her. She stared up at him with wide questioning eyes that would have brought him to his knees if he hadn't already been there. "Eiji was sent to find me."

"Why you?" she asked.

"I have certain…skills that others don't."

"Just say it plainly, Kenshin. You're leaving," she said more sharply than she intended.

"Not without you, I'm not."

The surprise that flickered across her face was something he had grown used to, and still marveled over. Anytime he did or said anything to make her realize that he cared for her well being always shocked her. _Why has no one cared for you before, Kaoru? _

"What happens if you don't go," she said finally when she recovered.

"A lot of good people might get hurt," Kenshin admitted softly.

Kaoru glanced down at her hands folded in her lap. "Is this about the renegade swordsmen below the mountain?" she asked softly.

Kenshin frowned at her down-turned face. "How do you know about that?"

Kaoru shrugged half-heartedly, feeling the moistness crowd her eyes. Blinking could not contain the tears and they slipped free to drop on her hands. Immediately, Kenshin's hand shot out and lifted her gaze. Pain stared back at him, shimmering in tears and dark eyes absent of the innocence that penetrated her aura. It made sense to him then. The sword wound in her shoulder, the luster stolen from her eyes by terror and anguish the mind could not fathom…

"You were the survivor," he said softly. "You came into the mountains to escape them, didn't you?"

She didn't answer, didn't have to because he could read it in her pained eyes. Finally she pulled away and wiped at her tears. "You should go," she murmured, "if you think you can make a difference."

"Kaoru—"

"I watched seven children die," she whispered and stared at her hands as if their blood still stained her. "I failed them."

He reached for her again, forcing her to meet his gaze despite her resistance. "You could have died with them," he said firmly and she closed her eyes thinking she should have. "Have you ever thought of how many you saved by warning the next village?"

Her eyes fluttered open and he realized she hadn't. Survival had been her only instinct and she hadn't even known why. He knew this pain, this guilt, and it didn't belong to her. So he gave in to an instinct of his own.

Kaoru's fingers curled around the edges of her blanket as he kissed her. There was no lust, no passion in the gentle touch of his lips. Instead of taking, he gave her a piece of himself and she welcomed the comfort he offered. Perhaps there was another way to do so, but this was the one he chose and when he pulled away she felt his concern in his reluctance to break the connection.

"Kaoru," he whispered as he tenderly stroked her cheek. "I will never fail you."

_So simple for him to say when we are alone on this mountain. But there are so many others that need him. I don't know why it must be him, but if that man came all this way to find Kenshin, then there must be a reason._

She covered his hand with hers and pulled away again. "Go and help them, Kenshin, if you can."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Can you handle the travel?"

"What?"

"Surely you didn't think I would leave you here alone? What would you do for food?"

"Oni would provide," she said with slight humor and he chuckled dryly.

"Not this time. You're coming with me, Kaoru, and there will be no arguments."

She paled slightly and he knew she feared going back to what she had left. Was it possible that she had come into the mountains seeking not life but death? But her will to live was stronger than even her will to die.

"Do you trust me, Kaoru?" he asked gently.

"Yes," she said without hesitation.

"Then you know that I will never allow anything to happen to you," he said firmly. "You will have a few days to ready yourself because Eiji and I will need to hunt. It could take a week to reach the valley at this time of year and food will be scarce on the way."

As if on cue, there was a warning knock on the door before Eiji pushed it open carrying an armful of firewood. By the time he stepped in, Kenshin was once again at the table preparing dinner and Kaoru turned her stare back into the fire. The man glanced from one to the other and finally shrugged as he carried the wood over to the little bin and dumped it. At first glance nothing seemed any different than when he had left, but on second glance the girl's face had turned thoughtful.

* * *

After eating as much as she could_, I must get strong for the journey so that Kenshin will not worry about me, _Kaoru retired to the corner and left the men to discuss details in soft hushed tones. The cabin was small and she could hear their words clearly but did her best not to eavesdrop. She suspected their low tones were meant for her own protection from anxiety over what would greet them. Eiji seemed surprised when Kenshin told him she would be going with them.

"Are you sure? She doesn't look well. Is she sick or something?"

"Something," Kenshin said vaguely and Kaoru smiled to herself. He had no intention of telling Eiji any more than was necessary and details about her were not necessary. "She'll be all right."

"She's going to cause nothing but trouble, Himura, and you know it. I know you have eyes just as well as I do—"

"And you keep them to yourself," Kenshin reminded him sharply.

Eiji stared at him for a moment and then grinned. "You're right. They would be stupid to mess with your woman. I get it."

Kaoru bristled at being called someone's woman. She didn't belong to anyone! But then, as long as Eiji and others believed that she belonged to Kenshin, they would leave her alone_. Who is he that everyone respects and fears him so greatly?_

"We'll leave in a few days," Kenshin informed him. "We can hunt and that will give her time to rest."

"Sounds good," Eiji agreed.

"Tell me more about these renegades."

Their voices fell into a monotonous murmur as Kaoru zoned out. It had been a tiring day and she quickly fell asleep listening to their hushed tones only to be awoken with a start an hour later.

A single glance at the man beside her calmed her instantly. She had grown used to seeing Kenshin sleep sitting against the wall with his sword propped against his shoulder to be drawn in a moments notice, but he had always slept clear on the other side of the cabin. His settling himself within reach of her was what woke her. For one panicked moment she had thought it might be Eiji, but he would never dare approach her with the red-haired samurai armed and ready at her side.

_I never would have expected him to be so protective. Does he distrust Eiji as much as I do, or is he merely enforcing a point he had made earlier about what belongs to him? Kenshin doesn't strike me as a possessive man, but then how well do I know him really? Does it really matter? Could anything I learn about him change the fact that I trust him? No._

So she closed her eyes.

Kenshin glanced down at her, resisting the urge to brush his fingers across her peaceful face. He knew he had disturbed her, but her alarm faded quickly when she saw just who had come within her space. Even if she had not spoken it, her actions alone would have proven that she indeed trusted him with far more than just her life. Smiling slightly, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to rest.


	9. Journey

Disclaimer: I lay no claim to the characters of Rurouni Kenshin. I just manipulate their world for fun.

Journey

Chapter 9

Kaoru filled her lungs with cool mountain air and smiled. The air never tasted sweeter as it did then, telling her she was alive when she shouldn't be. The last time she trudged through this forest, it seemed destined and determined to claim her. It hadn't mattered if it did for a force within her refused to give up so easily. She had clung to the hope that there would be something over the next hill, the next horizon, that would mean life…and it walked six paces in front of her.

For the last two days she had been staring at the same back, studying the prismatic reds in each strand of long hair, memorizing his walk so that she would know him even in darkness. She had grown used to the cold intensity inspired by Eiji's presence. It reminded her of just how little she knew of the violet-eyed samurai. If the strength that surrounded him was any inclination as to what lay beneath the many layers of Kenshin Himura, then maybe there was something to the twinge of fear she felt when he fell into silent contemplation.

She knew what awaited them at the bottom of the mountain. The memories would forever haunt her, the seven helpless children slaughtered before her eyes. They wouldn't let her look away, going so far as to bathe her in the blood of those innocents. Had she a sword of her own, she would have thrown her father's no-kill teachings to the wind and slain them all with her remaining strength. Rage demanded vengeance for the ones she failed to protect, for her own student and heir to the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu.

But integrity was not so easily forsaken and she sought to save life instead of delivering death. When she gave herself to Oni's mountain, she had ceased to believe in anything anymore. Then she met Kenshin. Pain lived in him, but he seemed to have found a way to exist with it, to surpass it even. Maybe, just maybe she could too. Whoever he was, she believed in him. She had to because she had nothing else to believe in anymore.

It seemed as though they had been walking for hours, but she was not as tired as she should have been. It was then that she noticed how the snow she walked upon was significantly patted down more so than it should be when only two people had passed over it. A shy smile flickered across her lips when she realized Kenshin was taking double steps, treading down the deep snow to ease her walk.

_He hasn't glanced at me once in the last two hours and yet he still thinks of me, taking care of me. He barely even knows me and yet he promised to never let anything happen to me, that he would never fail me._ Her fingers trailed across her lips in reflection. So gentle and kind…this was the Kenshin she knew. He was the first in her life since her father to count the tears she cried, to care that her eyes no longer shined and that life had become an empty, meaningless word to her. On her own since she was twelve and an outcast because she practice swordsmanship, she had forgotten what it was like to have someone stand between her and the rest of the world.

Her eyes drifted past the red-haired samurai to the man beyond. Eiji had been nothing but affable toward her and as Kenshin had said, she had grown used to his presence. The man was a fountain of information on just about any subject and Kaoru listened attentively when he talked. She was hungry for knowledge and Eiji was well traveled. Sometimes she got the impression that Kenshin was just as well traveled when his gaze would meet Eiji's in silent confirmation, but he rarely contributed to the conversation. He seemed focused more on what awaited them in the near future than on the now.

Evening seemed to fall early in the forest and Kaoru glanced up at the blue shaded sky, eager early stars peeking through the bare branches down at her. In her distraction, she didn't see the tree root Kenshin had uncovered and let out a startled yelp when she tripped. In confusion, she stared at the snow beneath her hands and knees and wondered how it got there. A hand appeared in her view and she glanced up at its owner.

"Are you all right, Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin asked with concern.

"Yes, Kenshin," she gave him a reassuring smile as she took his offered hand and let him pull her to her feet. "I wasn't watching where I was going," she admitted and his eyes smiled at her.

"It's a good place to stop," Kenshin said as he released her hand. "It will be too dark to walk soon anyway."

Eiji glanced up at the sky. "We made better time today. I'm impressed, Miss Kaoru."

Kaoru shuffled over to a fallen log, suddenly grateful for Kenshin's forethought in trampling the path for her as she felt the strain of pushing through deeper snow. "I know I slow you down, Eiji. You don't have to humor me."

The man chuckled as he set his pack down against a tree. "Hardly as much as you think, Miss Kaoru."

By the time darkness fell, Eiji had built a roaring fire to keep the darkness at bay. Kaoru excused herself from their company with the promise not to wander far and they were left alone to talk as men did only when a woman was not around.

"She's no ordinary girl," Eiji said as he watched the legendary samurai prepare a bed for her close to the warmth of the flames just as he had done the two nights before.

Kenshin paused in his action to spare him a dark glance. Eiji sighed softly and poked at the fire. "You don't have to tell me twice, Himura. But you know as well as I do that she will only be a distraction down there. How well can you do your job while protecting her?"

"I have already considered that, Eiji," Kenshin said softly as he straightened and stepped near the fire to warm his hands.

"So what are you going to do with her?"

"That's my concern."

Eiji frowned and threw his stick into the fire. "Fair enough."

_A distraction?_ Kaoru frowned. It was true. Her presence would only endanger Kenshin and she didn't want to be his weakness. She didn't want to be anyone's weakness. Casting a thoughtful glance into the darkness behind her, she wondered if things would have been far better for Kenshin if their paths had never crossed. What if she just disappeared? No one had ever missed her before.

"Miss Kaoru?" his voice drifted to her and she knew her presence had been sensed. Was it possible he always knew where she was? Her father had mentioned that some possessed such strong ki and ki sensing abilities as to be able to tune into a single person miles away. If that were true, then disappearing would be far more difficult than expected.

"I'm here, Kenshin," she said softly as she stepped out of the shadows and rejoined them.

Eiji offered her something to eat and she took it gratefully, giving no hint that she had over heard their conversation. After a moment, Kenshin stood and slipped his sword through his belt.

"I'm going to scout ahead," he said. "I won't be gone long."

"Be careful," Kaoru said and he offered a warm smile and an affirmative nod.

It was the first time he had ever left her alone with Eiji and Kaoru wondered what could have inspired this.

Eiji smiled and started poking at the fire again with another stick. "He can see just fine in the dark."

"Excuse me?"

"You're worried. Don't be. He's used to traveling in shadow."

"Oh," she said softly. "You've known him a long time?"

Eiji chuckled. "We fought together in the Bakumatsu, Miss Kaoru. He saved my life a time or two with that legendary sword of his."

"Kenshin fought in the Bakumatsu?"

The swordsman hesitated. "If he hasn't told you himself, then I shouldn't say anymore."

"He never talks about himself," Kaoru agreed and then leaned forward so that the firelight lit her face. "Which side were you on?"

His lips quirked at her gumption. Apparently this one didn't know when to play it safe.

"We were with the Ishin Shishi."

"I see," she said thoughtfully. The Ishin Shishi had fought for the new era of growth and equality they now lived in. If Eiji and Kenshin had fought in the same war for the same ideals, then why did Kenshin carry the burden of pain that was absent from Eiji?

"Has he changed much since then?" she asked.

Eiji smirked. "After the war, he vowed to never kill again and as far as I know, he has kept his vow."

"I see," she murmured. Then as an after thought, "But he still carries a sword."

"Strangest piece of metal I've ever seen," Eiji replied. "It's a reverse-blade sword. The sharp edge is on the wrong side."

"A reverse-blade sword?" Kaoru echoed in surprise.

Eiji nodded. "I know what you're thinking, but in his hands, a stick could prove deadly. Heaven help us all if he ever breaks that vow of his."

"You speak like he's a monster in hiding," she frowned.

"Some pasts just don't die so easily, Miss Kaoru. Once a manslayer, always a manslayer."

Kaoru felt her blood chill. "Kenshin was an assassin?"

A shadow fell across the man's face as he stared at her, all cheer gone from his expression. "It is none of my business to speak of another man's past, especially his, Miss Kaoru. But I see how you look at him."

She blushed at his words. "H-how do I look at him?"

"You trust him, in a way I could never understand. Only because of this do I tell you so much. He is not the man you think he is."

"I know he has a past," she told him firmly.

"But one carved in blood? If you do not know the man he was, how can you ever know the man he is? Miss Kaoru, I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Kenshin would never hurt me," she said, surprised by the hesitance in her voice. Those gentle violet eyes were not the eyes of a killer, but there was so much she didn't know about him. Kenshin had been a manslayer, a shadow assassin, a cold-blooded killer.

"I didn't mean that, Miss Kaoru," Eiji spoke gently. "I just don't want you to believe he is something he's not."

Kaoru dropped her gaze to the fire that seemed to take on the image of the flame haired samurai. Eiji was telling her to not trust Kenshin, but she already did. She couldn't help it. He had saved her life, cared for her as no others had, given her a reason to wake each morning. But there was pain in his eyes, a haunting such as she had never had to suffer. Eiji was right about Kenshin's past, she knew he was.

"Eiji," she spoke thoughtfully. _While we are on the subject of manslayers and the Bakumatsu, I might as well satisfy my curiosity._ "Did you know Battousai the manslayer?"

The man went very still and she raised her eyes to find his expression flickering with anxiety.

"Hai," he said hesitantly.

"Does he still live?"

"Hai."

Kaoru noted he was very uncomfortable with the subject, but he had answered her so far. _So the Battousai still lives. Why wouldn't he? He was the strongest of the Ishin Shishi. If Eiji knew him, then Kenshin may have too._

"Is he everything they say he was?"

"He was the best at what he did."

"They say the Meiji Era would never have emerged if it weren't for him," she gently prodded.

"Hai."

Kaoru frowned. "You don't like talking about him, do you?"

He pushed another log onto the fire. "I don't much care for the past."

Kaoru took the hint and kept her silence, her thoughts vacillating between Kenshin and the Battousai, two manslayers on the same side of the revolution. Stories about the man who made it rain blood were far spread and well known. Had he been cold-hearted and unemotional, simply a killer in the truest sense of the word? Or had he been a man after all? Could someone like him change as Kenshin had, for one could not even guess of Kenshin's past when gazing into those peaceful eyes. Would Kenshin ever speak of his past to her?

The soft crunching of snow announced his return and she wondered if he walked so noisily for her benefit as she knew he had the grace and stealth of a cat, _the grace and stealth of a predator_. Awareness of this hidden side of his was unnerving.

"Find anything interesting?" Eiji asked when Kenshin stepped into the ring of firelight.

"There's a storm coming," he replied as he kneeled beside the fire and laid his sword beside him. Kaoru's eyes were drawn to the action, realizing that the sword was never far from his hand for as long as she had known him.

"How soon?"

"Midday if the wind holds off till morning."

"How big, do you think?" Eiji asked.

"Big."

"Oni must be angry," Eiji remarked with humor.

"Those are just stories," Kaoru murmured even as she shivered.

Kenshin glanced at her, taking note of the uneasy change in her ki. "That they are, Miss Kaoru."

"There's truth to every myth," Eiji said as he poked at the fire. "Just a few weeks ago I ran into some fellows who had been up on the mountain. Scared witless they were. Kept rambling about a golden-eyed monster that attacked them in the dead of the night. They were lucky to be alive and I would know. They had some nasty scars to show for it." He smiled at Kaoru. "This Oni may not be one to control the weather, but he's real and dangerous all the same."

"Eiji," Kenshin warned softly.

"These men," Kaoru spoke. "Do you know their names?"

"I'm afraid I don't. Why?"

"It's nothing," she murmured as she dropped her head. _I thought Kenshin chased off those two men, but Eiji says they claimed a golden-eyed demon attacked them. Could it be that I was never alone on the mountain, even before Kenshin came? Is Oni real after all? _

"There is no need to worry, Miss Kaoru," Kenshin spoke reassuringly. "You should get some sleep, that you should."

Kaoru nodded and obediently laid down on the bed he had made for her and tried to silence her disturbing thoughts. It seemed she was surrounded by legends. Battousai's name spoken over the campfire brought his shadowed image to her mind and she was uncertain if she should fear him or Oni more.

Then there was Kenshin… and Eiji's words could not be shaken from her head. Kenshin, an assassin. She despised those who killed wantonly, for they stood against everything her father believed and those beliefs had become her own. Even in her moment of greatest pain and anger, she could not break those beliefs and now she placed her faith and trust in a man who had killed so many with a mere flick of his wrist and no backward glance.

_Can I still believe in him knowing what I know? _

Halfway through her ruminations she felt someone tuck the corners of her blanket securely around her shoulders. _Whether I should or not, I do._

* * *

The wind woke her and she sat up to find dawn had not yet found them. The fire had long since burned out.

"Good, you're awake!" Eiji appeared beside her suddenly and she looked up at him more alert and awake than she should be at such an early hour.

"It's colder," she told him as she struggled to her feet and glanced around. "Where's Kenshin?"

Eiji shrugged as he started bundling up her blankets into Kenshin's pack. "Don't know, but he'll be back soon. Here, eat something while you can. It's going to be a rough trek today."

By the time Kaoru polished off breakfast, Kenshin came striding back into the camp, worry creasing his soft features. He wiped the expression away instantly when he saw her.

"Good morning, Miss Kaoru," he said cheerfully. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes," she said, relieved that it was the truth. Exhaustion had spared her the dreams that might sprout from the information she had learned the night before.

The wind beat at them from all directions and she knew as Kenshin had predicted, it was going to be a bad storm. By midmorning, white flakes had begun drifting from the gray clouded sky, swirling in a haze on the eager wind.

"It's going to be ugly up here in just a few hours," Eiji murmured as he paused.

"This is where we split off," Kenshin said and Eiji turned in surprise.

"What are you talking about?"

Kenshin met his stare evenly. "I'll meet you in three, four days. There's something I have to do first."

Eiji's eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to read between Kenshin's words. "All right. I can find shelter more easily on my own anyway. Don't take too long, Himura." He then turned an amiable smile on Kaoru. "You take care, Miss Kaoru."

She nodded mutely as he turned and started off on the trail at a pace she knew she could never keep in this kind of weather.

"Kenshin?"

"We best hurry, Miss Kaoru," he smiled at her but his eyes betrayed concern. Again she nodded and urged her obstinate legs to follow him away from Eiji's disappearing figure.

_Where is he taking me? Wouldn't it be better to get as far down the mountain as possible? But this trail is taking us around it and seemingly straight into the storm!_

She didn't ask the questions. Her words would have frozen the moment they left her mouth and she needed all of her energy to keep moving. The wind rocked the trees and the cascade of white from the sky swirled mercilessly around them until at times she thought she would lose sight of Kenshin. Soon her limbs wouldn't obey her at all and she stumbled and fell into the deepening snow.

_So familiar…_ she thought faintly even as a strong hand grasped her arm and hoisted her to her feet.

"It's not far, Miss Kaoru," he hollered over the wind and she was relieved that he did not pull away from her. His touch seemed to lend her enough strength to go just a little further, but even that was not enough to keep her going headlong into the blizzard's enraged winds.

She felt as though the wind was cutting into her body, tearing the breath from her lungs and she was leaden by the icy cold. Before she could collapse once more into the drifts, the wind swept her up and the whole world reeled into a blur of red and white, fire and snow. When she dared to open her eyes again, she found herself nestled securely against a familiar dark blue gi. He had not even broken his pace when he swept her into his arms.

Kaoru curled into him, burying her face in his gi in hopes of finding some of his warmth. There wasn't much to be had as the icy wind relentlessly clawed at them and she shivered uncontrollably.

Kenshin clutched her tightly against him. _I have to get her out of this storm. Where is it? I can barely see anything!_

She was only half aware when the wind suddenly ceased. It still howled, but she could no longer feel it. Opening one eye, darkness greeted her and she blinked in surprise. _What happened to all of the snow?_

"Kenshin?" she murmured softly and was surprised her voice still worked.

"We will be safe from the storm here, Miss Kaoru," he assured her as he carefully set her down.

For an uneasy moment she could not see him, only darkness and she felt panic grip her. There was a soft shuffling and then a grating scrape and sparks broke the black void to light his face. It was like a vision or a dream, his face illuminated by the tiny flickering flames growing from the spark he had struck. Strength and power were never more visible in his expression than in that moment.

He fed the fire from a well-stocked pile of wood stored in the cave and Kaoru's eyes adjusted quickly with the added light. The cave was almost as large as the cabin, the ceiling high enough for a man like Kenshin to stand in without trouble. There must have been a curve in the cave's entrance because she could not see nor feel the storm, though she heard a distant howling.

As the fire grew in intensity, she began to realize just how cold she really was as the shivers seized her forcefully again. Kenshin stoked the fire until he was certain its warmth would reach all corners of the cave. When his eyes alighted on Kaoru's shivering frame he felt a sharp stab of guilt. She had wanted to stay behind, but instead he had dragged her into this journey when she was still far from well. The travel had worn on her more than she was willing to admit, but he could see it in her hollowed face, the dullness of her eyes. Her eyes had no luster from the first day he met her, but the emptiness had grown with the strain he had put her through. Not once did she complain and he knew she never would. This woman was a fighter, even if she didn't know what she was fighting for.

He pulled a blanket from his pack and stepped around the fire to wrap it around her shoulders.

"It's so c-c-c-cold," she chattered as he roughly rubbed warmth into her arms.

"I know," he said mournfully, "I'm sorry."

"Y-you didn't bring the st-st-storm, Kenshin," she said and he chuckled softly.

"No, I suppose not." He wrapped his arms around her and started working on her icy hands. Kaoru watched his sword callused hands work over her slender fingers, chafing life back into her flesh. The hands of a manslayer.

_The cold has gotten to my brain,_ she decided.

"Kenshin," she spoke softly as her brain began to thaw.

"Yes, Miss Kaoru?"

"You've been here before."

"I have waited out many storms here, yes," he replied.

"Kenshin?"

"Yes, Miss Kaoru." His voice was tinged with amusement.

"Where are we going?"

His hands stopped moving. "Some place safe."

That wasn't much of an answer.

"It's okay if you don't tell me, Kenshin," she said softly and closed her eyes. "I trust you."

His arms tightened around her and her eyes flickered open to stare at the distant wall. _Did I say something wrong? _Glancing over her shoulder into his violet stare she saw something she was never meant to see. Longing and remorse, anguish, hate, hunger, and guilt…all of his emotions shown in his eyes with shattering intensity and she knew, she knew there was not a shadow of a doubt to his past.

"Kenshin?"

He smiled suddenly and his favored passive expression swept the other emotions away from his eyes._ She doesn't need to know. She never needs to know. _"Miss Kaoru, do you have any family?" he asked much to her surprise.

"No," she murmured and dropped her gaze to the fire. "My mother died when I was very young, and my father when I was twelve."

"I'm sorry," he murmured sympathetically.

"It's alright, Kenshin," she said softly. "It was a long time ago."

"Do you remember them?"

"I hardly remember my mother, but I think about my father all the time."

"You loved him."

"Very much," Kaoru said, a tiny tear slipping down her cheek. "My father was a great swordsman and he had many students. He left the dojo to me when he died. As assistant master I continued teaching his technique, the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. The others didn't think it was proper for a woman to teach swordsmanship."

Kenshin chuckled softly. "I had a suspicion."

"What do you mean?"

"I've seen you hold a sword, Miss Kaoru."

"When did I…oh, the katana from the cabin. That was yours, wasn't it? Whatever happened to that?"

She felt his body tense against her and he started warming her hands again. "It's not important. How many students did you have, Miss Kaoru?"

So the katana is off limits. The feeling of dark power the sword possessed spoke of a bloody past, one that she now realized must have belonged to Kenshin. But the sword had been hidden away in the cabin for countless years…because he didn't use it anymore. He didn't kill anymore.

"There were a few that would come for lessons as long as their parents didn't know, but I only had one official student. He was an orphan I took in a while ago, a brat, but he had a lot of potential." He could hear the fondness in her voice. "He would have been my successor to the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu."

"Would have been?"

Kaoru didn't reply and Kenshin leaned his head against hers, hugging her close. There was no comfort for this loss. The boy had been the last in her life and now she was a woman alone. He couldn't take that pain away, no matter how much he wanted to. She cried softly, her body shuddering from her quiet sobs and he lifted his hands to wipe the warm tears from her angel face.

Kaoru turned into him suddenly, burying her face in his gi as her grief gripped her hopelessly. Her tears had been spent for the people taken from her life, for the pain they had suffered. Not one tear had been shed for herself until now. Her stifled sobbing shook him and he held her as tightly as humanly possible, burying his face in her thick ebony locks.

"I'm here," he whispered softly as he gently stroked soothing patterns on her back. _I'm here for you, Kaoru._

* * *

Before you all can ask me, yes the boy Kaoru was speaking of was Yahiko. Okay, let the tantrums and hissy fits begin!


	10. Reason

Disclaimer: I lay no claims to the characters of Rurouni Kenshin, just the smattering of unimportant OC's in this fic. Oh, you might recognize a few phrases in here from the anime "kenshin-isms" I guess you could call them. Obviously, if you recognize it, it does not belong to me.

Reason

Chapter 10

His amber-flecked eyes kept drifting to her delicate features passive in sweet slumber. She had cried herself to sleep in the warmth of his embrace and it had been difficult letting go. Kaoru Kamiya had woven a spell upon him that he had no desire to break. But she would turn from him if she knew what he was.

Kenshin growled softly as he prodded the fire, embers scattering into ash. There had been times before in his wandering years when his anger sparked like the flames, but the thirst for revenge had never been so acute. Whoever stole the shine from Kaoru's eyes was going to wish they had never been born. Her shattering cries had torn him to pieces and he ached to keep her in the center of his world, safe from pain and suffering for he bore enough for the two of them.

He knew he was unworthy of her, one so innocent and pure of the sins that blackened his past, but no other was capable of protecting her from the evils he was so familiar with. No other seemed to want the job yet he would embrace it readily that he might see those midnight blue eyes glow with something more than firelight. And she need never know.

One could only guess what thoughts drifted through her mind when she sat in silent contemplation. She watched him often and he wondered if it was ever for more than the desire to see another face.

_These are not thoughts I should entertain_. Even as he scolded himself, his gaze again drifted to her face. _Is it possible? What I am feeling, could it be something more than the need to protect? There have been others before but…I want to protect her forever._

Seeking escape from his disturbing thoughts, he stepped away from the fire towards the cave's entrance. Calm silence greeted him when he stepped out into the white world. Snow still fell steadily from the dark sky, but the relentless wind had passed over with the fiercest part of the storm. It had grown very cold upon the mountain, colder than he had ever noticed before. Having satisfied his curiosity, he returned to the warmth and seclusion of the cave.

_Tomorrow is going to be a long day. I really need to get some sleep._ He put another log on the fire to ensure it would keep a while longer and then knelt beside Kaoru. She had turned her back to the fire within the few minutes he had stepped out, her blanket having slipped off her shoulders when she had done so. Even with the warmth of the fire and a blanket, she still shivered and whimpered softly as she was pulled into another unpleasant dream.

Kenshin had watched over her troubled sleep many nights in pained wonder, but now he knew where her dreams were taking her. Tonight, he would not let her go alone. Setting his sword within easy reach, he lay beside her and pulled the blanket over them both. Wrapping his arms around her trembling body, he pulled her into him, tucking her head securely under his chin. Almost instantly, she stilled and Kenshin smiled sadly before closing his eyes, hoping sleep would come slowly so that he might fool himself for a moment longer about the angel he held in his arms.

* * *

_I should be afraid. I should be terrified…but I'm not._ Kaoru could not understand the feelings upon her as she gazed into that shadowed face ablaze with fierce amber eyes. She knew IT had come for her. She had heard the horrified cries of the men felled by the creature's steel claws, inhuman cries of sheer terror torn from men only when they faced death or something worse. Those men were all that stood between her and IT, but they did not stand long and now IT came for her. Molten embers bore through her, intent on only reaching her…and she was not afraid.

Kaoru reluctantly pulled herself from the all too realistic dream and her eyes fluttered open to stare at a strong masculine chest just barely hidden beneath a dark blue gi. Tilting her head up slightly, she met a pair of alert violet eyes and became aware of the warmth that encircled her despite the obvious cold that had seeped into the cave.

"Morning," he spoke softly and she was surprised to notice the slight hesitance in his voice. He was uncertain of how she would react to waking in his arms.

Kaoru blinked sleepily and smiled much to Kenshin's relief. "Morning."

"The storm has passed," he told her and she felt a stab of disappointment.

"Does that mean we have to leave?"

Kenshin chuckled softly and she was warmed by the rumble she felt in his chest. "Soon. We still have a long way to go."

"I like it here," she murmured as she closed her eyes and snuggled into his chest. "Safe."

He stared down at her in surprise for a moment before hugging her close. It felt so natural to hold her like this and her presence had ensured him the most peaceful slumber he had enjoyed in years. A part of him wanted to keep her there forever and an equal part of him suspected she would be content to do just that. A woman's instinct was rarely wrong and indeed she was safe with him and always would be. Always.

"Kaoru," he spoke softly but she did not respond. Curious, he disentangled himself enough to gaze fully into her face once again set in slumber.

"Poor kid," he murmured as he brushed his fingers across her cheek. "You were never in any condition to travel like this." As an after thought, he placed a gentle kiss upon her forehead before tucking the blanket snuggly around her. When she woke again, it would be to the crisp white morning and Kenshin's easy swinging pace.

_I could get used to this_, she thought.

"Kenshin," she murmured and he glanced down at her.

"Ah, you're awake, Miss Kaoru."

_He knew I was awake_, she mused with amusement.

"I can walk, Kenshin."

"You are far from well, Miss Kaoru, and I have been pushing you too hard."

"I'm not made of glass, Kenshin," she protested.

He smiled with amusement but she could tell by the set of his jaw that her words had little affect.

"You can't carry me forever, Kenshin," she frowned.

"I possibly could, Miss Kaoru. You are quite light."

"Kenshin, please, just let me walk for a little while. I promise I will tell you when I'm tired."

He sighed and gently set her on her feet in the snow. Pulling the blanket tightly around her shoulders he fixed her with a firm stare. "The minute you get tired," he reminded her.

"I promise," she repeated with an innocent smile that turned his insides to mush.

Kenshin fell into the same habit of trampling the snow for her as they walked single file, and yet his pace never seemed slow. Regardless of Kenshin's past, she knew now nothing she learned about him could ever change how she felt. Eiji had said she could not know the man Kenshin was now if she never knew the man he had been. Maybe that was true, but not knowing the man before didn't mean she couldn't love the man now.

_Love?_ She jerked to a stop. _Do I…do I love Kenshin? Even after all that Eiji told me about Kenshin having been a manslayer? How can I love this man I hardly know? _

She watched his graceful walk, wondering how many had died because they never saw or heard him coming. Her eyes drifted to the sword at his side. _Eiji said Kenshin had vowed to never kill again, so why does he still carry a sword? Even if it is a reverse-blade sword, why carry a sword at all?_

"Kenshin," she called as she started walking again. He paused and glanced back at her.

"What is it, Miss Kaoru?"

"Did you fight in the Bakumatsu?" She knew he had, but she couldn't tell him that.

His expression was unreadable. "Yes," he said warily.

_I'm halfway in the river now,_ she decided now that she had his rapt attention_. Might as well go all the way. _"Is it true that you have vowed to never kill again?"

The expression that flickered across his face was not one she had expected. His eyes softened noticeably.

"I have."

"Then why do you still carry a sword?"

"It is a reverse-blade sword," he explained as he pulled his sword free with a soft rasp and held it out to her. "And it cannot kill anyone."

Kaoru stepped closer and tentatively reached out to touch the cold steel. The reverse edge was sharp, but anyone who knew a sword knew this one was made to be drawn with the blunt edge out. It could do severe damage in the hands of a man who knew how to use it. Should one mean to deal a death blow, the blade merely needed to be flipped. Kaoru wondered if he had ever desired to do so. Pulling her hand away, she met his passive gaze.

"Miss Kaoru, why do you practice the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu?" he asked as he sheathed his sword.

"The Kamiya Kasshin Ryu is meant to revitalize the spirit. It is dedicated to the belief that a sword is meant to protect life, not take it," she said, her eyes glinting with pride.

Kenshin smiled slightly and turned away from her. "Swordsmanship is learning how to kill, Miss Kaoru. Only those whose hands have never been stained with the blood of innocent men can believe otherwise." He paused and glanced over his shoulder at her. "But to be honest, I prefer your words to the truth, indeed I do. Perhaps one day all men will live by them. Until then, I will carry this sword and protect my friends from those who do not."

Kaoru blinked in surprise at his words, at the frank honesty behind them. This man, this samurai, this former manslayer, lived by the same beliefs as her. Hiding her smile, she started to follow him again. They walked in silence for only a moment as Kaoru's train of thought continued on the same path it had two nights before.

"Kenshin," she spoke again and he turned slightly, his pace not halting.

"Yes, Miss Kaoru?"

"Did you know the Battousai?"

His shoulders tensed, wary once again. Would everyone who had known the legend react the same way?

"Yes," he said softly.

Something in his answer told her he had more than simply known the legendary manslayer. Did they work together, perhaps?

"What was he like?" she ventured.

Kenshin walked silently for a moment. "He was…withdrawn," he finally said.

Kaoru glanced down at the pure white snow. "He must have suffered great pain," she murmured.

Kenshin stopped in surprise and turned towards her. "Why do you say so?"

"I do not think he wanted to be a manslayer."

Kenshin's eyes widened considerably. "Miss Kaoru—"

"Had he no conscience, he would have suffered no pain. Why then isolate himself from the people he fought for?" she replied.

Kenshin's head tilted slightly in thought, red bangs brushing across his forehead. "I suppose you are right, Miss Kaoru," he said finally.

"A man like him," she said softly, "I think he suffered very much. Maybe he still does." Glancing up, she offered him a slight smile. "I'm sorry for bringing up the past, Kenshin."

"There is no need to apologize, Miss Kaoru," he said softly. "I had no right to ask for your trust when I have told you nothing of myself."

Kaoru smiled shyly at him. "It was given freely, Kenshin." She turned away quickly to hide the blush sweeping up her neck.

Kenshin watched her in startled amazement. Eiji must have told her something of his muddled past, but kept his silence about the identity of the Battousai. And knowing this, she did not gaze at him any differently. How could she be so accepting of him when she knew he had a past dark with blood and secrets? How could she be so forgiving?

As from the moment he first laid eyes upon her, the darkness within him stirred to life fighting for precedence in his multi-colored eyes. Would she fear him if she knew the truth? If she ever saw his eyes bathed in amber fire, saw the beast within him watching her with unfettered desire, would she have the courage to face him?

He couldn't bear the thought of her ever speaking those words of trust and forgiveness to another. She knew him, even the part of him she did not know existed. Few had ever perceived the madness he had sentenced himself to during the revolution, but her words_… I think he suffered very much. Maybe he still does..._

As he watched her trudge slowly through the deep snow before him, he knew the Battousai within would never be appeased until this young maiden became his. She had lost everything and lived for nothing, and he wanted to give it all back. He wanted her reason to be him.

_I will never betray her trust. I will never let anyone hurt her again. And I will make those eyes shine once more._

* * *

Voices pulled her from her slumber and she stirred herself from muddle dreams of swords and snow to find that she only recognized one of the voices. Opening her eyes confirmed she was alone in the room, tucked snuggly under two layers of blankets on a soft futon. Reaching into her memory, she drew up the events that had brought her to this place.

Kenshin had scolded her for not admitting to her exhaustion as she had promised she would, sweeping her into his arms where she was to remain for the duration of the journey. He had changed after their conversation about his past. She could feel it in the strength of his embrace. His eyes were a shade darker and he held her much tighter than necessary as if he were afraid she might fly away if he did not. And there in his arms she had fallen asleep yet again.

"I've been expecting you," a voice broke into her thoughts and she tried to concentrate on the underlying strength beneath the arrogance. "I knew you couldn't resist."

"You have heard, then." That was Kenshin, and his voice was even and strong, far from the gentle tone he used with her.

"I've seen the smoke. More than one village has burned by now. Someone came through looking for you. Obviously they found you."

"How did they know to come here?" Kenshin asked.

"They didn't. They ended up here by mistake."

"More than one?" Kaoru could envision the frown on his face and she understood. Eiji had been the only one to show at the cabin.

"Two. A hard-headed brute and a swordsman with eyes like yours."

_Eyes like Kenshin? Who else has eyes like Kenshin, so soft and kind…no that isn't what the man meant._ There were times when Kenshin's eyes darkened in shade almost as if they were about to change color and there was something cold and steely about them in that moment. They were the eyes of a swordsman, the eyes of …a manslayer.

"So they are involved now too," Kenshin spoke thoughtfully. "No one else came?"

There was silence and she imagined the other man to be shaking his head. "Obviously someone found you," he said.

"Yes," there was an edge to Kenshin's voice she didn't like just then and she imagined his eyes framed in a darker shade of violet.

"Am I supposed to talk you out of this?"

"No, master," Kenshin said softly and Kaoru blinked in surprise. This other man was he Kenshin's sensei?

"Good, because it would be a waste of my time. Now, what about the girl? She looks sick."

"I do not wish to place Miss Kaoru in any danger—"

"You want to leave her here then, is that it?" It was spoken gruffly and Kaoru wasn't so sure she wanted to stay with this man who obviously didn't want her around.

"She was the sole survivor of the first village attacked, master," Kenshin said and a slight pause followed.

"Wounded?"

"Her right shoulder, but it is healing well. She only needs rest and food and her strength will return quickly."

"Just as long as she doesn't try to tell me what to do," came the gruff reply.

"You will care for her then?" Kenshin asked in an almost boyish hopeful way.

His master scoffed. "Of course I will care for her. I can't very well let you take a woman down into that war, now can I? What, you think I'll break her?"

"I would not trust her to any other, master," Kenshin stated firmly.

There was a soft grunt in reply and Kaoru smirked slightly. Kenshin's master was a bit untraditional, that he was.

"You care about this one," the man spoke suddenly and Kaoru perked her ears up.

"She has no one else—"

"It's more than that. Your ki is saturated with it. She means something to you."

The silence that followed was agonizingly long followed by words that pierced her heart.

"I don't deserve her."

Kaoru felt tears spring to her eyes. _Oh, Kenshin._

"Baka! Of course you don't deserve her," the older man snapped. "She's a woman. That alone puts her worlds above you. But all women fall in love with men unworthy of them. If they didn't, the human population would die out. So if by mercy one of those exalted creatures should ever fall in love with you, you would be a fool to let her get away."

Silence.

"Master, I've never heard you speak like this before."

"Yeah well, it's early and I haven't had any sake yet." Immediately there was the sound of a jug popping open and the quiet gulping of liquid followed by a pleasant sigh. "So, does she know who you really are?"

Kaoru frowned. _What does he mean who Kenshin really is?_

"I don't want her to know if she doesn't have to," Kenshin said softly.

"You think she won't understand," the older man stated gruffly.

"Most don't."

"You don't give her enough credit."

"I don't want her to get hurt," Kenshin replied.

His master snorted. "She survives an attack from murderers and thieves, wanders all the way up into the forbidden mountain alone and wounded, meets you and knowing your wonderful knack for conversation obviously knows next to nothing about you, and yet willingly follows you through a blizzard halfway down the mountain to a destination she is unaware of. Kenshin, you are such an idiot."

"Oro?"

Kaoru slapped her hand over her mouth to stifle the laughter that was fighting its way out. Never had she heard Kenshin sound so…so naïve.

"Perhaps you are right, master. Miss Kaoru is a strong woman, but still—"

"This one needs no protection from the Battousai," his master snapped forcefully and Kaoru shot straight up on the futon.

_What?_

"Master—"

"In any case, she will be safe here. Just make sure you say goodbye before you go. I don't want a weepy woman on my hands."

Kaoru rolled her eyes.

"I don't want to wake her," Kenshin spoke ever so polite.

"What are you talking about? She's already awake."

Kaoru's eyes widened like saucers. _How-how did he know?_ In the awkward silence that followed she heard soft footsteps that could only belong to the red-haired rurouni coming towards her room. She turned her head towards the door expectantly, curling her hands nervously in the blankets draped over her lap.

The small shoji slid open and Kenshin's warm violet eyes settled upon her, softening noticeably.

"I'm pleased to see you awake, Miss Kaoru," he spoke cheerfully with his famous rurouni smile that promised to reveal nothing of his inner thoughts.

"Where are we, Kenshin?" she asked, silently hoping that he would forget about her eavesdropping.

"About a days journey from Yomiko village," he answered as he crossed the room and kneeled beside her. "You will be safe here, Miss Kaoru. Master Hiko will take good care of you."

"You're leaving me here?" she asked, her eyes wide and almost shattering the poor rurouni.

"Master Hiko is an honorable man, Miss Kaoru. I would trust no other with your safety," he replied.

Kaoru dropped her stare as tears began to well up into her eyes. "But what if you don't come back? I-I don't want to lose you too."

Kenshin reached out and gently cupped her chin, bringing her shimmering gaze back to his own. _Is it possible? Could Master be right?_

"I will always come for you, Kaoru," he swore fiercely. "And if I don't," his eyes began to glow with a strange light and Kaoru felt her heart flip. "Battousai will."

The question she would have asked died on her lips beneath the firm kiss he bestowed upon her. He sealed his promise with an emotion she had never sensed in him before, one she recognized only because it lived within her too.

"You should rest," he said softly when he pulled away, but his fingers lingered for a moment having found their way into her long raven tresses.

"When will you come back?" she asked as she looked up at him, refusing to accept the fact that she was very, very tired again.

"I do not know," he admitted as his hand settled on her shoulder and gently pushed her back to rest on the futon. "You must not worry yourself, Miss Kaoru."

_Back to Miss Kaoru again?_ Everything about him had changed in but a flickering moment. He had been the gentle rurouni she always remembered, but there was something fierce within him, passionate and possessive, a shadow from the revolution. She had glimpsed it before, but now it was gone, hidden behind that innocent smile.

"Please be careful, Kenshin," she murmured softly as sleep began to tug at her eyes.

"I will," he promised and just before sleep claimed her, she felt the gentle brush of his lips across her forehead.


	11. Hiko's Lodge

**A/N- Important:** Kaoru does not know that Kenshin is the Battousai. If you read previous chapters carefully, he and everyone else have always spoken of Battousai as if he were another person, so she has no reason to believe they are the same. But she definitely knows that Kenshin obviously knows who Battousai is.

Disclaimer: I own a three inch tall Kenshin, sakabatou and all, but I'm afraid that is where my claims end.

Hiko's Lodge

Chapter 11

Kaoru stirred herself awake and for a moment could not remember where she was. All she knew was that she was safe in this warm place. Pushing herself up, she stretched her arms above her and glanced around, comprehension settling in.

Kenshin was gone. It wasn't the empty room that assured her of this but rather the empty feeling within her heart. Her fatigue having faded for the moment, she made up the futon and cautiously set out to explore her new surroundings.

It was a small cabin comprising of only two rooms, the one she had slept in and the main room she stepped into. Shelves lined the walls bearing pottery of numerous shapes and sizes. It didn't take an expert eye to see the pottery had been formed by a skilled hand. So, where was the potter?

A haori hung conveniently beside the door and she shrugged it on to protect her from winter's chill before stepping out into the white world beyond. The cabin was nestled snuggly in the forest near a small hill and Kaoru smiled at the peaceful serenity that surrounded her. Whoever built his home here was seeking nothing less than absolute solitude.

The snow was trampled into a trail curving around to the back of the cabin with fresh tracks and curious as ever, Kaoru followed. The trail led straight to a large kiln. A thick log had been dragged in front of the kiln and a man was perched on the log staring into the fire seemingly oblivious to all else. From her view of his back she guessed he was a big man from the breadth of his shoulders which bore a white cloak with an imperial air. His long black hair was tied at the nape of his neck as Kenshin sometimes wore his and bore a slight emerald shine in the sunlight.

"If you insist on being out here at least stand near the fire so you won't catch cold," he spoke suddenly and she nearly jumped out of her skin. _How does he do that? It's uncanny!_

He didn't turn to look at her and after a moment she urged herself forward. Even if Kenshin had never told her of this man, assuring her that she would be safe with him, she would have known. There was a strength about him that reminded her so much of Kenshin. This man was most assuredly a swordsman, but she wasn't afraid of him. When she reached the log, he glanced up at her with an unreadable expression. As she expected, his were the narrow eyes of a swordsman, darker than any shade of night she had ever seen. For certain he could see every thought, every inclination within her with those sable eyes. Not to mention handsome. Why did all the handsome men seclude themselves in the forbidden mountain?

"It's about time you woke up," he said finally and then turned back to his kiln. His deep gruff voice carried an undercurrent of arrogance she remembered from his conversation with Kenshin earlier that morning. _Maybe social grace isn't his thing._

"I didn't mean to sleep so long," she returned softly, uncertain as to if he was scolding her or not.

"That idiot never should have dragged you down the mountain in your condition," he grumbled as he poked another piece of wood into the kiln.

Kaoru frowned but decided not to argue the point. Instead she stepped around the log and sat down, pleased with the warmth the fire put off.

"Is he going to be okay?" she asked softly.

"He's been through worse."

Kaoru stared down at her hands curled in her lap. _Of course, Kenshin fought in the Bakumatsu and survived. He is—was- an assassin, a swordsman of great skill. He will be okay._ She clutched her hands over her heart. _So why am I still afraid?_

Seijuro Hiko glanced sideways at the young girl sitting beside him. For someone untrained, she had remarkable control. Only a master could sense her presence, that and she had never been taught to walk silently. It didn't take an intelligent man to see what Kenshin saw in her. She was a pretty little thing and from what he had heard of her so far, she had a spirit too great for her body.

When the red-haired samurai first showed up at his door with the limp bundle of cloth and blankets, he had thought the crazy idiot had brought him another injured animal. Kenshin always did have a soft heart for helpless creatures. The lovely Kaoru Kamiya was indeed in a helpless state and her delicate features set in slumber softened his own heart. But even then he had not been prepared for what he saw when she turned her face towards him.

Those eyes…so empty, desolate. There ought to be more blue than black in those soulless eyes. They should shine with laughter and smiles, spirit and defiance. They were the eyes of a damaged woman and even as Kenshin Himura and Eiji were captivated by her forlorn spell, the thirteenth master of the Hiten Misturugi Ryu was no less exempt.

"He is my apprentice," he found himself saying to ease the worry he could sense in her questions. There was something about her, perhaps those haunting eyes, that demanded gentle care. "Kenshin will not be defeated."

She wanted to believe him and he gave her credit for the slight smile she permitted herself. This girl still had possibilities. She wasn't completely shattered yet.

"Come along, girl," he said finally as he stood and turned his back to the kiln. Amusement flickered across his face as her eyes widened suddenly. Most were intimidated by his towering stature, but her expression reflected more awe than fear. There was not a mark of hesitation as she obediently stood and followed him back to the cabin. Kenshin had worried incessantly about her inability to trust anyone beyond himself, but she seemed at ease_. Maybe this will be easier than I thought_, Hiko decided as he listened to her soft steps some distance behind him.

Kaoru sat quietly out of the way as she watched Kenshin's master prepare dinner. He had shed his cloak inside the cabin and she took measure of his stature with her eyes. She would not wish to make an enemy of him. Tall, strong, built, they were such common words to describe such a magnificent man. A sword in his hands must be truly formidable. Most men his size could not move with the inhuman grace of a true samurai but as she watched him work about the cabin, she was simply enthralled with his feline movements. They reminded her so much of Kenshin and she found herself smiling. If Kenshin mirrored his master's gestures, how much more of the man did he reflect? His kindness, gentleness, strength, skill, compassion? Whatever concerns she had before were brushed away as she watched the swordsman prepare her dinner. As Kenshin had promised, she would be safe with this man.

Perhaps Kenshin had drawn his cooking skills from his master as well_. It isn't fair that these men can cook better than me_, she thought grimly as she ate of the meal put before her. He ate with her, albeit silently, and Kaoru did not feel inclined to break the silence. She was feeling very tired again and she suspected Kenshin's master liked his silence. Why else would he live so far into the woods all alone?

She didn't contemplate the thought very long. After she ate, she retired and fell asleep quickly and never noticed how her blanket was arranged over her shoulders with the same tender care innate to the red-haired samurai of her dreams.

* * *

The snow fell often in the mountains and Kaoru amused herself with the delightful powder, watching it sift through her hands, leaving fresh prints in the otherwise unmarred blanket of white. Barely a week had passed since Kenshin had left her with Seijuro Hiko and the silence between her and her host had not warmed beyond a few simple nods and grunts. Hiko did not feel inclined to speak with her about his "idiot apprentice". She would have bristled the first time she heard him call Kenshin that if it were not for the distinct note of fondness that seemed to cling to the words. No doubt Hiko was as amused with Kenshin's impossible silliness as she was when it happened to reveal itself.

Digging a little beneath the snow, Kaoru found what she sought in her morning walk. After only a few days of observation, she had noticed how Hiko preferred to stoke his kiln with the branches of a certain kind of tree. When asked he simply said they burned hotter than other wood.

Kaoru gathered as much as she could carry in her arms and began to tread back to the cabin. She had not gone far, staying within clear sight of the building and the plume of smoke that rose behind it. Hiko pretended to be disinterested in what she did, but she was wise to that samurai awareness of his. He wouldn't have liked her to go any further, she was certain of that.

She was nearly out of breath when she dropped the branches beside the kiln and dropped herself onto the log beside Hiko. A smile quirked his lips as it was prone to do when she did something unexpected. Kaoru suspected he usually refrained from expressing his feelings, but opened himself slightly for her benefit. It was the little things he had done over the past few days that told her that beneath the imperious air and arrogant glare, Seijuro Hiko was a big softy.

"Why did you become a potter?" she asked when her breathing eased.

"I'm good at it," he said as he selected a stick from her pile and poked it into the fire.

"You do not wish for any more students?"

"Swords are forbidden in the Meiji Era," he said evasively.

Kaoru frowned as she dropped her gaze to the fire. "The innocent still need to be protected. A sword does not have to kill."

Hiko glanced at her, folding her hands in her lap as she did when she reflected on something deeply.

"Kenshin said you taught swordsmanship," he said.

"Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, the sword that protects," she murmured.

He laughed softly and she glanced up in surprise.

"He is such an idiot," Hiko laughed and turned back to feeding his fire.

"I don't understand…"

"You will. Believe me, you will."

Kaoru frowned again and shook her head in frustration. This man was impossible.

"I don't want to meddle in his life," he said suddenly. "He is a grown man, a stupid one, but still one to make his own choices. Had he only listened to me before he became a man things would have worked out differently and he would have less specters haunting him. Don't become one of them."

Kaoru's eyes widened considerably. "Sir Hiko—"

"I like being a potter," he said suddenly and offered her a broad grin. "A genius like me can accomplish anything and no one ever bothers a hermit potter."

Kaoru chuckled and did not miss the softening of his dark eyes.

"It is very peaceful here," she agreed.

"The boy thinks so too, that's why he built that cabin further up. Too many people were looking for him."

Kaoru wanted to laugh at his reference to Kenshin as being but a boy. Hiko hardly looked aged at all himself.

"Have you always lived here?"

"Yes."

"Then you know the stories of Oni," Kaoru said softly and was surprised when he stiffened. Had she not been watching his mesmerizing movements so closely she never would have seen his reaction.

"Hai," he said after a moment.

"Do you believe the legend?" she asked.

"There is some truth in all legends," he replied.

"But you live on this mountain. Have you ever seen anything—."

"I've seen many things in my lifetime, girl," he cut her short. "The villagers are superstitious of what they don't understand."

"Are you saying that Oni is real?"

Hiko glanced into her eerie eyes. "Just don't wander far, girl," he said and then turned back to the fire.

Kaoru fell silent from her questioning at the warning. So there was something on the mountain besides them…something dangerous. Could it be, then, that the two samurai who found her at Kenshin's cabin really had been attacked by Oni after all? She remembered their cries of terror and felt the air crackle with unfathomable power. And when the screams died, she had been swallowed by the suffocating heat of amber fire. Eiji had spoken of two men who claimed to have encountered a golden-eyed monster on the mountain and now Sir Hiko's reaction only confirmed her suspicions. Oni was real, whatever and whoever it was, and what is more, it knew her.

Shaking herself from the unsettling thought, she sighed quietly.

"I like it here," she said as she pulled her knees up to her chest. She still wore the clothes she had found at the cabin, Kenshin's clothes. Kenshin never said anything about it, but she had caught him watching her with amusement in his eyes more than once, a woman in men's clothing. At a distance he had mistaken her for one.

Hiko smiled, oddly pleased that this girl liked the solitude of his humble home. She was the one, he was certain of it now. The boy already loved her and could he have picked a woman out for him, he could not have chosen one with greater potential. Perhaps they would heal each other.

Kaoru felt warmth settle over her shoulders and found herself wrapped in Hiko's imperious cloak without ever noticing him move in the first place. He busied himself with the kiln completely oblivious to her and she smiled. _Softy._

But he had given her much to think about in any case. She had always known Kenshin had a dark past from the first moment. Behind those kind eyes and gentle demeanor lurked something fierce and deadly and it fascinated her as much as it frightened her. He had been an assassin in the Bakumatsu. How many died by his blade? Were these the specters Hiko spoke of? Did the shame of what he had done in the past keep Kenshin from having a future? Was that why Hiko hinted that she should stand by him? Could she give Kenshin a future when she failed to see one for herself?

_If he will let me, I would like to try. _Kaoru sighed softly. _I miss him so much._

Despite her melancholy, Kaoru grew to be quite fond of Kenshin's master and was content with the simple life he lived. Under his vigilant care, she steadily put on weight and grew stronger without realizing it was happening. He began to give her chores that included mostly gathering wood for his kiln and the house as well as cleaning his small cabin. And when she thought he wasn't looking, she would secure herself a long straight stick and practice her swings. Her injured shoulder protested loudly against the motion but she forced herself through the practice, determined to regain her strength. So determined was she that she rarely noticed the dark eyes that watched with appreciation and admiration.

Hiko was well traveled for a hermit potter. Having never been more than a few miles from her own village before, Kaoru listened with rapt attention when he spoke of the larger cities like Tokyo and Kyoto, and he seemed to enjoy entertaining her with his stories. On occasion he might mention something his "idiot apprentice" had done in the past, but he would not reveal anything more to her ever-eager ears.

He knew she missed the boy and after a month passed he was concerned he might not be able to keep her there with him much longer for she was becoming restless.

"Here," he finally said one day as he handed her a bucket.

"What is this?" she asked in surprise.

"Go get some water from the river, girl," he said and turned away. Kaoru stared after him wide-eyed for a moment before a slow smile spread across her lips. He was giving her permission to go into the woods alone and the river was by no means close.

"Huh," she said and proceeded to trudge off along the path clearly marked by his own footprints from days before. There was something profoundly liberating about being in the woods alone. The frustration of her weakness was subsiding with each day. Against the odds, she was alive and well, but the time would come when she would have to leave the haven of Hiko's lodge.

Kaoru's steps hesitated as she suddenly realized that she had a future to think about for the first time since she set foot on the forbidden mountain_. I escaped to the mountain to find life and now that I've found it, what do I do with it? _She shuffled her feet thoughtfully. _I guess I could try to rebuild the dojo and restore my father's teachings…_

With a weary sigh, she plopped down on a rock to stare at the ripples in the half frozen river. _What's the use? Yahiko was my only student and now he's…he's..._ Kaoru wiped a lonely tear from her cheek. _Yahiko. I couldn't protect you, not even with everything I taught you. I'm a failure that's what I am. I teach the sword that protects but I was never strong enough. And now seven children are dead._

Kaoru hugged her legs to her chest and rested her head on her knees. _If only Kenshin were here. He always knows what to do. When he's around I feel as if there were no one else in the world he would rather be with. He makes me feel stronger than I really am_. Closing her eyes she tried to imagine his arms around her instilling her with warmth and comfort. From the moment he entered into her life, she felt safe as if nothing and no one could ever harm her again. What sort of man possessed that kind of power, to affect her so deeply with his presence alone? And when he kissed her…

She wet her lips in memory. The first kiss had been one of assurance, but the second had been so much more. There had been a few moments when he let his mask slip and she glimpsed the emotions he suppressed. They were fierce and primal, everything a swordsman should be in the heat of battle, everything she admired and feared. If Kenshin was half of what she had been told he was, those emotions overflowed within him. And she had tasted the existence of the deeper, feral part of his personality in the disguise of a chaste kiss.

_Who is he really? _

With a sigh, Kaoru pushed herself up and cautiously approached the river's edge. Kneeling in the soft snow, she dunked her bucket into the frigid waters and silently wondered where her red-haired samurai was and if he was safe.


	12. Hope Restored

Disclaimer: This is annoying. No I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of the characters there off. If you believe that I do, I truly must question your sanity.

Hope Restored

Chapter 12

Kenshin watched the insatiable flames swallow the remnants of the village indiscriminately. He was barely visible against the backdrop of fire, seeming to be a part of the inferno himself and though his expression was cold and indifferent, inside he was anything but.

Scarcely a month had past since he had joined the resistance against the renegade swordsmen that were preying on the quiet villages beneath the forbidden mountain and the enemy was still three steps ahead of them. This was the fourth village to suffer from their lack of success and while there had been less civilian casualties, any at all were still too many.

"Feeling nostalgic, Battousai?" a flat voice asked behind him.

"This is senseless," Kenshin murmured without turning.

"For once we agree," the taller swordsman said.

"Will the government not send reinforcements?"

"We are the reinforcements."

Kenshin cocked his head to smirk at the golden-eyed man beside him. "I could think of worse possibilities, Saitou."

Hajime Saitou's perpetual scowl deepened and he turned to survey the remnants of their forces. The enemy was both clever and superior in numbers. Victory required intelligence information they were still lacking because after all, even experienced swordsmen left over from the revolution could not defeat so many at one time. And the number of those among the resistance group who were experienced were few while all in the enemy's number seemed to have been trained in swordsmanship, most likely by the Yakuza.

"This is a war, Battousai. It is time we treat it as one."

"I agree."

"We will make camp outside the village and discuss a new strategy."

With narrow eyes Kenshin watched his former adversary walk away. There were many such who had served on the opposite side of the revolution and now fought for the same ideal in the Meiji Era. Of course, before these had arrived, the resistance had consisted mostly of men who simply wanted an excuse to shed blood. It was with the names of these men that Eiji had managed to convince him to add his skill to the fight. But upon arriving he was pleased to see such men as Hajime Saitou, Sanosuke Sagara, and Aoshi Shinomori. These men were a dying breed and yet still severely needed in this new allegedly peaceful era.

Shaking his head sadly, Kenshin turned his back to the fire and wandered off in search of the spiky haired fighter for higher. Sano was a good man to have in a fight though he preferred his fists over a sword any day. He was stronger than most and loyal to the bone and Kenshin was proud to call him his friend.

"Let me go!" a young voice shrieked and Kenshin launched himself into a sprint.

"Relax, kid," he heard Sanosuke's easy-going voice reply and immediately slowed his pace. Rounding the corner of a half-burnt building he espied the lanky man holding a struggling young boy by the scruff of his shirt.

"Don't call me kid!" the boy snapped as he swung his fist futilely. Sano held him effortlessly at arm's length and grinned.

"You sure look like a kid to me."

"Sano," Kenshin interrupted softly and the former gangster turned his grin on him.

"Yo, Kenshin. Look what I found! A little pickpocket. He's lucky I'm the one he tried to steal from. None of the others would let him off so easy.

"I wasn't stealing anything, rooster head!" the boy seethed. "Now put me down!"

"Oh really? Then what was my biscuit doing in your hands?"

The boy crossed his arms defiantly. "Finders keepers," he growled.

"Are you from this village?" Kenshin asked and the boy shifted his glare to him but remained silent.

"Now you're going to clam up, huh?" Sano asked as he shook the boy slightly and that harsh glare swung toward him again.

"Put him down, Sano," Kenshin ordered and the fighter looked up at him in surprise.

"What? He'll just scamper away like he tried to do when I first caught him!"

Kenshin glanced the boy over, noting the stubborn set of his jaw and the bokken slung over his shoulder. The boy was a swordsman in training.

"He won't run," Kenshin said finally. "It would be dishonorable."

The boy's set glare turned to surprise and Sano immediately released him, letting him fall to the ground. His reflexes were quick and he managed to land on his feet instead of his backside.

"Quick little thing," Sano murmured and was immediately nursing a huge bump on his head. The boy settled his bokken casually onto his shoulder and turned to meet Kenshin's amused gaze.

"My name is Kenshin Himura and this is Sanosuke Sagara," Kenshin spoke politely, gesturing to his glowering friend.

"I'm Yahiko Myojin," the boy said proudly.

Kenshin smiled at the boy's declaration. He was the son of a samurai, there was no doubt. "Yahiko. If you are not from this village then why are you here?"

Yahiko's brown eyes darkened severely. "I want to make those creeps pay for what they did to us. They destroyed everything," he growled fiercely.

"So you decided to go after them all by yourself," Sano raised a brow.

"You'll catch up with them eventually," Yahiko pointed out. "And when you do, I want to be there. I know exactly who I'm looking for and I'm taking back the blood of seven people from him."

"Your family?" Kenshin asked gently.

"As close to one I'll ever have," Yahiko murmured.

"Okay, so you're in it for revenge," Sano surmised. "That's all well and good, but you're just a kid. You're better off leaving the revenge business to real men like us."

"Sano—"

"I'm not a kid, rooster head!" Yahiko growled. "I'm the first apprentice of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu and nothing and no one is going to stop me!"

Kenshin stiffened at the boy's fiery declaration as Sano started arguing with the furious young swordsman.

"I don't care what you're the apprentice of! Those guys will slaughter you and—"

"Did you just say Kamiya Kasshin Ryu?" Kenshin asked suddenly and the two stopped to stare at him.

"That's right," Yahiko said. "They killed my teacher and the other students. I'm the only one left to defend the honor of the Kamiya Dojo."

"I do not believe the sword that protects was meant for revenge," Kenshin told him.

Yahiko scowled. "What do you know about the sword that protects?"

"Don't be disrespectful," Sano snapped as he bopped the kid on the head.

"Ow! Hey!"

"Sano, Yahiko, please—"

"You should listen to Kenshin. He's the Battousai you know!"

"Put me down, you jerk! I don't care who—did you just say…" The two turned to look at the violet eye samurai standing by patiently with a look of weary resignation.

"Sano, put him down."

The fighter promptly obeyed and Yahiko landed in a heap on the ground, too stunned to try not to.

"You're the Hitokiri Battousai?" the boy echoed in awe and Kenshin offered a slight smile.

"That was many years ago. I am simply Kenshin Himura now."

"I heard rumors that the Battousai was here, but I wasn't sure if they could be real."

"For once the rumors are right," Sano grinned as he grabbed the boy's scruff and lifted him back onto his feet.

"Then-then you can help me!" Yahiko's eyes got big with excitement and anticipation.

Kenshin shook his head. "I have taken a vow to never kill again, Yahiko. And I do not believe Miss Kaoru would be pleased to hear that you plan to avenge her through bloodshed either."

"Never kill? But you're the—wait a minute. How do you know Kaoru," he demanded.

"She still lives," Kenshin smiled, his heart exploding with joy. _Miss Kaoru will be so pleased to see her young apprentice again. Perhaps it may even bring the sparkle back to her eyes._

"Kaoru is alive?" Yahiko gasped as he grabbed Kenshin's gi with both hands. "Where is she? Is she all right? Is she safe? What happened to her?"

"Miss Kaoru is safe and well," Kenshin said with amusement at the young swordsman's eagerness. "As fate would have it, our paths crossed not long after she escaped into the mountain. She was severely injured, but she is quite well now…and mourns your death still."

The boy's eyes grew big and he stepped back from the older samurai. "She blames herself, doesn't she? It wasn't her fault. There were just too many of them." He pulled open his yellow gi slightly and Kenshin and Sano could see the remnants of what should have been a fatal blow. "I stepped back when he struck. I thought I was dead for sure but I woke about an hour later. The whole village was in flames and I couldn't find Kaoru anywhere. I assumed they took her and killed her too. They didn't spare anyone in the village, so they wouldn't have spared her."

"Kami, kid," Sano whistled softly. "That is one handsome scar."

"Tell me where she is," Yahiko pleaded. "I have to see her."

"You will see her, but you must promise me that you will leave this battle to us, Yahiko."

"I'm just as good a swordsman as most of these guys," Yahiko protested.

"I have no doubt," Kenshin replied honestly. "However, if I should allow anything to happen to you now that I have found you, Miss Kaoru will never speak to me again. I do not think I could bear such a consequence."

Yahiko scowled slightly. "Yeah, it is a little scary when she gives the silent treatment. You just can't tell what she's scheming when she clams up."

"Good. Now, Sano?"

"Huh? What? Oh, no. You are not going to get me involved in this," he threw up his hands defensively.

"I do believe you owe me a favor, Sano," Kenshin said with a slight smile. "And you already know the trail."

Sano's broad shoulders heaved with a sigh. "Okay, fine. But this makes us even, Kenshin."

"Of course. At least until you gamble away the rest of your money."

"Hey, they were playing with loaded dice, I swear!"

Kenshin chuckled and turned back to Yahiko. "Sano will take you to her, Yahiko. Just don't let him take any shortcuts. He tends to get lost."

"I heard that!"

* * *

"What is this?" Hiko asked warily as he stared into the bowl Kaoru handed him.

"It's miso soup, of course."

Hiko raised a brow at the gray liquid. "Are you sure?"

"Just try it," Kaoru said as she did so with her own bowl.

Hesitantly, Hiko lifted the bowl to his lips and took a small sip of the soup. Kaoru watched him expectantly as the master swordsman turned every shade of color known to man before he was even able to swallow. Once his usual pallor returned, he carefully set the bowl down and met her stare without expression.

"Well?" she asked.

"That is **not** miso soup," he said simply as he pushed himself up and walked over to secure a jug of sake. After his first gulp, he decided it was going to take at least half the jug to wash away the ghastly lingering taste. He had half a mind to make her swear to never feed another human being that foul concoction ever again. But then, it would be quite amusing to see his idiot apprentice attempt to maintain a pleasant face when his taste buds were assaulted so viciously.

"Needs more salt," he heard Kaoru murmur and he grimaced. There wasn't enough salt in the world to save that soup.

Kaoru continued to frown at her soup, trying to think of what she could have possibly done for it to turn gray in the first place when she heard the familiar rasp of a sword being pulled from its sheath. She turned in surprise to see Hiko standing sword in hand with a strange expression in his dark eyes. He glanced it over once before sheathing it and stepping towards the door.

_Where did the sword come from? I've never seen him carry one before. _

"What is it?" she asked.

"Someone's coming," he replied. "Stay here."

He didn't even give her a chance to reply before he disappeared. Kaoru pushed herself up, but refrained from peeking out the window. Hiko's reaction scared her. This serious side of him had been well hidden beneath his arrogance and expressionless humor.

The silence was unnerving and Kaoru started to kneed her hands in anticipation. What was going on? Who was out there? She could not detect even the slightest sounds of battle and she knew for certain that if there was any danger, Kenshin's master would act without hesitation. So where was he?

The door suddenly slammed open and Kaoru leaped back, reaching for the nearest possible weapon. She froze before she could even grasp something, her eyes on the ghost from her past standing in the doorway with his chest heaving.

"Kaoru!"

In the moment it took for her to blink, his arms were wrapped tightly around her and Kaoru suddenly snapped out of her shock.

"Yahiko?"

"I wanted so badly to believe him when he said you were alive and now I see that you really are!" he mumbled into her shirt and Kaoru wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"Yahiko, I can't believe it!" she pushed him back slightly and searched his face with her hands, ruffling his already messy hair, just to prove to herself that he was real.

The boy tried to keep his tears from falling, but it was a futile effort when they flowed so freely down his adoptive sister's face.

"I did just like you taught me. I stepped back from the blow and it wasn't severe enough to kill me," he said as he pulled aside his gi for her to see the scar. "You were gone when I came to and I thought you were dead. Then I met Kenshin and he told me you were still alive."

Kaoru pulled him to her again in a suffocating hug that she was not inclined to release him from too quickly for fear he might disappear and she would once again be alone. She could feel her gi grow damp against his face while her tears soaked into his hair. Later he would deny in his usual macho way that he had ever shown such blatant emotion, but it wouldn't matter. He was alive!

_Oh, thank you, Kenshin!_

* * *

"How goes it down there," Hiko asked the lanky man who had accompanied the young boy up the mountain. He had been there a while before looking for Kenshin and had a strong fighting ki despite his jovial expression. Hiko was never fooled by expressions. It was this man's strong ki that had alerted the swordsman to his presence.

"They still elude us," Sano replied as he glanced towards the cabin where Yahiko had gone in. "I think they are wise to our strategies."

"Perhaps there is a traitor in your midst," Hiko suggested. "I assume my idiot apprentice is still alive?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

"I have no doubts," Hiko shrugged. "But the girl will want to know."

"I didn't even know about her until the kid showed up," Sano replied. "Kenshin isn't inclined to talk about her."

"Of course not."

The door to the cabin opened to draw their attention and Yahiko walked out beaming with a pretty young woman following close on his heels. At first glance, Sano might have mistaken her for a young boy in her gray hakama and dark green gi with her ebony hair pulled up like a samurai warrior. But if the eyes lingered, there was no mistaking a face that delicate and pretty.

Sano let out a low whistle and grinned. "So you're the Missie Kenshin refuses to talk about. I can't imagine why. The guy sure has bragging rights."

Kaoru blushed and Yahiko bristled.

"Show a little respect, rooster head."

"What, I'm just paying the Missie a compliment."

"How is Kenshin?" she asked, ignoring the comments. "Is he all right?"

"Of course he is. It would take a lot to kill a man like him," Sano winked.

"They haven't made any progress, Kaoru," Yahiko told her. "Those renegades are still killing and pillaging."

"I'll admit they are hard to catch," Sano agreed. "But we will get them and they will be sorry when we do." He emphasized the point by smashing his fist into his hand.

"Will you be staying? I made some miso soup if you are hungry."

His eyes brightened for a moment until he saw the warning expression flicker across Yahiko's face and noted Hiko stifling a gag reflex.

"Uh, I think I better get going. We need all the good men we can get, you know."

Kaoru nodded. "Okay. But please, tell Kenshin," she hesitated, so many things needing to be said but only one sufficing the moment. "Tell him I said thank you."

Sano smirked knowingly. "Sure will. Take care of her, little Yahiko."

"Don't call me little!" the boy shrieked after him.

Hiko scowled as he watched the man walk away. _What does that red-head idiot think I am, an inn? Now I've got two to look after?_ He glanced down at the young boy now left in his care and ponder over how much trouble this one would give him.

"All right, Yahiko," Kaoru said suddenly and the boy stiffened, a wary looking crossing his features.

"We are not to be taking advantage of Sir Hiko's generosity," she stated, pointing a finger in the air imperiously. "So you can start collecting wood for the house and when you are done with that…"

Hiko chose that moment to escape, an urgent voice in the back of his head warning him that if he stayed any longer she would be assigning him menial jobs as well, or worse, forcing him to taste test more of her so called cooking.

"What? Aw come on, Kaoru!" he heard the boy whine and Hiko rolled his eyes at the sky.

_I'm going to make you pay for this, apprentice._

"And when you're done with that—"

The girl sure had spunk, he had to admit that. Their voices carried clear over the cabin and he knew he would find no peace even beside his kiln as the two continued to argue. For certain half the mountain could hear them by now, he mused as he kneeled in front of his kiln and began to build up the fire. Reaching for another stick, he hesitated and raised his glance to the surrounding woods.

Something watched, uncertain and wavering between decision. The ki was not strong enough to be a threat, but it agitated the master swordsman enough to know no good could come from the unseen creature. After a moment, it began to fade and he concentrated his focus on it until it was gone completely from his senses.

_The mountain stirs,_ he thought silently as he turned back to his fire.


	13. Stroke of Bad Luck

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

Stroke of Bad Luck

Chapter 13

"Four ninety-eight, four ninety-nine, five hundred!" Yahiko cut the air swiftly with his final swing and then settled his bokken over his shoulder. Five hundred swings barely made him tired anymore, a sure sign that ticking Kaoru off actually did him some good. Assigning him swings was her favorite punishment aside from cleaning the dojo. Hiko's lodge was too small to present much of a threat in that department.

Wiping a hand across his brow, Yahiko glanced across the white meadow he stood in. Kaoru had tired of watching him do his swings long ago and gone back inside the cabin to rest. She was still unnaturally thin from her ordeal, even if she was doing better. Yahiko tried not to imagine how much worse she must have been.

Slinging the bokken across his back, he trudged through the deep snow around the corner of the cabin towards the back where he knew Kenshin's master would be. How the man could spend hours sitting in front of a kiln was beyond him but he did and seemed quite content to do so. It was almost impossible to believe the man was a master swordsman. Almost. One only had to study his movements to know otherwise.

"Done already?" the man asked when Yahiko stood ten feet behind him.

"Yeah."

"Where's the girl?" he asked gruffly.

"Resting," Yahiko said and plopped down on the log beside the taller man.

"Giving orders is exhausting," he returned and Yahiko just stared at him, knowing if he dared to laugh Kaoru would some how find out about it and whack him over the head.

The two sat there in silence for what seemed an eternity before Yahiko's curiosity got the best of him.

"So, are you really the master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu?"

"Yes."

"Then why are you making pottery?"

"I'm good at it."

"Will you teach me?"

"Pottery?"

"The Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu."

"Why?"

"I want to be stronger."

"No."

"Why not?"

The dark-eyed swordsman glanced down at the boy with large beseeching eyes. "You already have a teacher and she is strong enough."

Yahiko blinked at him in surprise. It was not the answer he had been expecting and begrudgingly he had to admit there was a good deal of truth behind it. Kaoru was not a weak woman by any means, daring to teach swordsmanship beneath the disapproving eyes of her entire village so that her father's ideals would not die. She had stood unafraid between the children and the enemy and in the end dragged herself across the mountain in the dead of winter with a gapping wound in her shoulder so that she might live to fight one day more.

Still, this was **Kenshin's** master.

"But you taught the Battousai swordsmanship!" he uttered in one last desperate attempt to convey how necessary it was for himself to learn the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu.

"You did?" a soft voice interrupted and both glanced back at Kaoru standing a few feet behind them, her eyes wide and wary.

"I have never had a student by that name," Hiko said simply and turned back to the kiln.

Yahiko looked up at him in surprise, glanced back at Kaoru, and then back to him again. _Kaoru doesn't know._ And wisely, the boy said nothing more.

"What are you two doing?" she asked when they remained silent.

"Yahiko wants to learn pottery," Hiko said, an amused glint in his dark eyes as he glanced down at the boy who merely scowled back.

"Oh, okay," Kaoru said. "Well, I'm going to get some more water. Yahiko, behave yourself."

He stuck his tongue out after her as soon as she turned away and won a slight chuckle from the stolid Hiko in return.

* * *

Kaoru was completely lost in her thoughts as she walked down the river path swinging her bucket idly. Hearing Yahiko's declaration not long before had stirred her obsessive curiosity about the strongest swordsman of their time. She never did question Sir Hiko about the Battousai, knowing he would tell her nothing. There was no mistaking that he knew the Battousai, perhaps even as well as Kenshin knew him for he had boldly declared to Kenshin that she needed no protection from the legendary manslayer. What did he mean by that anyway? She had never so much as cross paths with the man, let alone even know who he was.

Her steps hesitated as another possibility crossed her mind. _Could it be that Kenshin and the Battousai are enemies? Why else would Kenshin feel that he must protect me from him? No, that can't be it. Kenshin had promised that if he ever could not reach me to protect me, then the Battousai would come in his stead. Of what difference would my safety make to a man like the Battousai? I am nothing and no one to him and yet…_

Her thoughts faded off as a wave of unease swept over her. Lifting her gaze from the trodden path she followed, Kaoru glanced into the shadowed woods for some hint of what was sending shivers down her spine. The silence was unnatural and unnerving, not even the crack of a swaying branch breaking the stillness.

Grasping the bucket a little more firmly, Kaoru turned back in her steps and began to hurry away from her original destination. Instinct was deeply ingrained in her and at that moment it was screaming for her to get back to Yahiko and Hiko.

* * *

"Kaoru."

"Huh?" Yahiko glanced up at Hiko as he suddenly stood. Barely seconds passed when a high-pitched scream rent the air to pieces.

"Kaoru!" Yahiko yelped as he leaped up to follow the swordsman who was already disappearing into the tree line. It was impossible to keep up with the man, but the trail he left was plain as day as Yahiko crashed through the brush heedless of wayward branches until he stumbled breathless onto an open path. All that remained among the snowy footprints was a bucket and red snow.

"Is that blood?" Yahiko panted as he scurried up beside Hiko.

The tall swordsman picked up the bucket and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "It isn't hers," he said after a moment before handing the bucket to the boy.

Even Yahiko could see that now. Blood stained the bottom edge of the bucket and he winced in thought of the blow she must have dealt to her attacker to cause that kind of damage.

"Which way did they go?" he asked but was only answered with silence.

Hiko's eyes were busy reading the ground. _Six, twelve…there had to be nearly twenty men. It would seem some of the renegades have taken to the mountains and by a stroke of bad luck, stumbled upon the girl. Kenshin is going to be royally pissed._

"Well?" an angry voice interrupted his thoughts and Hiko glanced to the dark red eyes of Kaoru's spirited apprentice.

"Well what?"

"Aren't you going after them? They have Kaoru!"

"I know," he said as he took the bucket from the boy and continued on down toward the river.

"Where are you going?" the boy shouted.

"To get some water," he said simply.

"Water? How can you think of water at a time like this! Kaoru is in danger!"

_Not as much danger as the men who took her._ "We will have guests tonight," he said simply to the boy who followed him.

"Guests? Now you're thinking about guests!"

Hiko rolled his eyes as he kneeled to dunk the bucket into the river. This kid had spirit but little patience. So much like Kenshin when he was younger.

"Well if you aren't going then I am," Yahiko declared and spun on his heel. He didn't take more than two steps before he was dangling above the ground.

"She wouldn't want that," Hiko said.

"Put me down!" Yahiko shrieked as he kicked and struggled to free himself. Hiko merely shrugged and carried him off back to the cabin as if he weighed no more than the bucket of water.

"Relax, kid," he said. "They are in Oni's domain now."

Yahiko ceased his struggle and stared up at the man with big eyes. "Are you serious?" he whispered.

A grim expression shadowed Hiko's face, the only evidence of his true feelings. "Deadly serious."

* * *

Yahiko stiffened and reached for his bokken when he heard footfalls outside the cabin door. Seijuro Hiko remained where he was, enjoying his second jug of sake and seemingly oblivious to the presence of any outsiders.

_Doesn't he know that someone is here,_ Yahiko scowled. _It could be the men who took Kaoru! How could this guy possibly have been the Battousai's master?_

The door swung open and two men scurried in with a whirlwind of snow. Yahiko leaped with a throaty cry and slammed the tallest man to his knees. Ready to deliver another blow, Yahiko glared down at his victim to meet a pair of angry brown eyes beneath a rock size bump.

"Little Yahiko!" Sanosuke howled and the boy yelped as he leaped off the man and shot out the door.

"Took you long enough," Hiko murmured as he lifted his jug for another swallow.

"The wind is restless tonight," Kenshin returned as he glanced after Sanosuke chasing down the young boy in the snow. Closing the door softly on their shouts and threats, he turned back to meet his master's stare.

Dark eyes narrowed. "You are wounded."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Only because I know you. What happened?"

"I am certain there is a traitor among us," Kenshin said darkly as he pulled his sword free from his belt and settled himself on the floor. Kami, he was exhausted.

"Do you know who?"

Kenshin shook his head. "Our numbers were already few and they set a trap for us. It was well played and by the time we recovered from the surprise, many were already dead and our enemy had escaped into the mountain into as many as five different groups."

"They dealt you a heavy blow and then forced you to divide your numbers even further," Hiko observed. "Clever."

"They knew exactly when and where to strike and," Kenshin's eyes darkened several shades, "they knew where to escape to."

"Your friend was followed when he brought the boy," Hiko surmised and Kenshin nodded.

"I suspect so, yes. But why?"

Silence settled between them until Kenshin suddenly looked up, an amber glow flickering through his violet eyes.

"Where is Kaoru?"

* * *

A moan escaped her lips as she stirred herself back to consciousness, pain sweeping through her body as her senses checked in with her brain. Hands numb, check. Aching wrists, check. Throbbing headache, check. Big smelly jerk, check… and check.

Her eyes drew into focus on the ground passing beneath her sight, telling her she was slung over the shoulder of one of the men who had attacked her on the river path. There were too many to count and they caught her completely off guard. She swung her bucket at the first to step in striking distance and it all went black from there.

Before she could open her mouth to demand to be put down, she was thrown carelessly into the snow. Her breath whooshed from her lungs on impact and a tinge of pain seared through her shoulder. Someone roughly grasped her hair and yanked her to her feet, her eyes tearing at the pain even as she glared in heated anger.

"Let go!" she shrieked as she swung her fist at her attacker, suddenly realizing that her hands were bound together and the blow easily blocked.

The man who held her merely laughed as she struggled futilely to free herself from his grasp. "She sure is spirited," he crowed with delight. Kaoru cut his laughter short with a sharp kick to the shin. She jumped back and tripped into a snow bank to avoid the blow he aimed at her head, a cloud of powdery snow swirling about her.

More laughter surrounded her reminding her that there was more than one enemy to contend with.

"So this is the wench that got away from you, Gohei," someone else spoke and Kaoru felt a chill slice through her that had nothing to do with the icy wind. Struggling up to a sitting position, she raised her gaze to the face of the man that stood above her. It was the wicked scar cut deep across his left cheek that stuck in her memory and she felt all the fear of the winter past seize her in a death grip.

Dropping to one knee, he reached out and grasped her throat, pulling her towards him until her face was just inches from his own. Kaoru gasped and struggled to pry his fingers from her throat, but they held firm. His dark eyes roved over her face as he stroked her cheek almost tenderly. A whimper escaped her as tears began to trail down her face and he leaned forward to lick the salty sweetness from her face.

Helpless to stop him, a strangled sob tore from her throat. _This can't be happening. This can't be real!_

His tongue trailed teasingly across her skin as he pulled her closer and whispered softly in her ear.

"This time, you will scream for me."


	14. Eyes of Golden Fire

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. Anything you don't recognize, however, does belong to me.

Eyes of Golden Fire

Chapter 14

Gohei shoved Kaoru into the snow and she remained where she fell, not wanting to provoke him anymore. Her terror was absolute for she had seen this man slaughter children without mercy. She would have joined them if not for the very spirit of defiance that she was despised for.

They had walked endlessly, long after exhaustion made her legs weak and useless and darkness shrouded the woods. How far had they come? How far was she from Hiko's lodge? She had lost track of direction long ago. The only thing she knew for certain was that they were still on the forbidden mountain.

Pulling her knees up beneath her, she hugged her bound hands close for warmth as the men set about making camp. Several campfires were roaring in no time and Kaoru was disheartened by their confidence. It could mean only one thing.

_I hope Yahiko and Sir Hiko are all right. Please, let them be all right. I have to believe they are alive. They will come for me. If they don't, Kenshin will. I must believe he will._

She was given nothing to eat, not that she had any hunger anyway. So Kaoru just sat there and shivered. Someone begrudgingly tossed her a ragged old blanket and she pulled it tightly around her as best she could with her wrists tied, but it did little to ease the chill that penetrated her body.

There were close to twenty men with Gohei. Some of their faces were familiar. How could she possibly forget them? Tonight she would be sleeping with bloodthirsty killers, if she could sleep at all. For the time being they were ignoring her, content with the success of their latest killing spree.

Their banter was loud and without shame and she could not hold her tears for the men who had died so bravely at the hands of these killers in the ambushed they had set. An ambush! That meant even someone as skilled as Kenshin could have been injured or worse!

Wiping roughly at her tears less anyone should see them, she turned her gaze away from the fires to the dark of the forest and her midnight shaded eyes were drawn to the shadowed branches swaying softly in the cold evening breeze. The woods were far from welcoming and Kaoru felt as though she was drowning in darkness despite the glow of the nearby fires. Nothing out there could save her if Gohei decided this night should be her last.

Danger was present. She could feel it watching with eyes shadowed in obscurity. Her gaze traveled listlessly over the swaying branches of the surrounding trees expecting to find nothing more than the confirmation that she was terrifyingly alone. What she saw were shadows. Gray shadows, blue shadows, and shadows bearing slices of moonlight.

_Moonlight._ Kaoru stiffened and glanced back towards the camp. Gohei's men were paying her no mind, so she dared to look back into the darkness to find the unnatural shadow was gone. Could it be? Could it be that Sir Hiko had found her already?

Kaoru pulled the blanket tighter around her and curled into a tight ball, watching the men through slit eyes. They were drinking and enjoying the moment, but they would sleep soon enough.

Their over-confidence was on her side that night. Even the guard had fallen asleep at his post. Kaoru arranged her blanket over a lump of snow and quietly skirted away from the camp, quickening her pace only when she was certain she was far enough for sound not to carry. The snow was deep and she fell often, struggling to push herself up with her wrists still bound tightly together, but she was determined to put as much distance between her and the camp as possible. It wouldn't be much, she realized, when a distant shout declared her escape had been discovered. All sense abandoned her and she succumbed to panic, pushing herself to a faster, more frantic pace. They would track her easily in the white terrain.

Her breath tore from her heavily as she tripped and collapsed into the deep snow. It was so cold and she was beyond tired and they were getting closer. Pushing herself up to her knees, she looked up into the darkness and froze.

The shadow only watched her in silence, as if weighing a heavy decision. It made no motion towards her and she began to wonder if it was merely another part of the forest.

"There she is!" an angry shout rang out and she glanced behind her. There would be no escape now that they had found her. Tearing her gaze from them, she looked back down the moonlit path she had been taking to find the shadow gone. _Something is hunting us_, she realized as she was roughly seized and yanked to her feet. She turned her face to her captor in time to receive the full impact of his fist across her jaw. A pained cry escaped her before she crumpled at his feet.

Gohei grabbed her arm and tossed her limp body over his shoulder. "Stupid woman. I can't believe none of you saw her run!"

"I think we all had too much to drink," Uchi, the man who still suffered from a sore shin spoke gruffly. It was a short walk back to camp and Gohei dumped her into a heap closer to the fire.

"Tie her ankles this time. She's out cold, but I'm not taking any chances."

* * *

"Where's Shin?"

Those were the words Kaoru woke to the next morning, along with another pounding headache.

"Maybe he wandered into the woods a bit."

"Shin would never leave his post. Take a few men and find him." Gohei glanced down at her still form and kicked her injured shoulder.

Kaoru stifled a groan and opened her eyes to glare at him.

"The next time you try running away, I'll cut your leg off. You got that?" he growled.

She kept her tongue, sitting up slowly trying to hide the fact that her shoulder now pained her considerably.

"Gohei, we got a problem." Uchi came walking up.

"You can't find him?"

"It's more than that," Uchi said. "His stuff is here, even his sword but we can't find a hint of him anywhere, not even footprints."

Gohei frowned. "Probably wandered off to take a leak and got himself lost. Get the men together. I want to get off this mountain."

* * *

Gohei had become wary since Kaoru's attempted escape. He kept her towards the center of the group and she walked with two men on each side and her wrists still bound. When she stumbled and fell, a rough hand would yank her up and she was beginning to have serious pains in her shoulders from the rough treatment.

They stopped briefly around midday to rest… and two more men were found missing.

"What do you mean no one saw anything?" Gohei demanded.

Everyone shrugged.

"Two men don't just disappear without a sound," he shouted.

"Maybe Oni took them," Kaoru said softly.

An uneasy stillness enveloped the men and all eyes turned on her.

"What did you say?" Gohei growled.

Kaoru met his gaze but said nothing, knowing he had heard her well enough.

"They're just stories made up to scare kids, Gohei," Uchi said.

A murmur went through the group and Kaoru knew not everyone agreed with the man. Anyone who had lived within twenty miles of the mountain knew the stories.

Gohei's eyes narrowed in irritation. "Let's keep moving. Keep close and keep your eyes open. You," he grabbed Kaoru's arm, "walk with me."

Kaoru stumbled to keep up with his rapid pace, never missing the uneasy glances he shot into the deceptively peaceful forest surrounding them. As the hours passed without event, the men began to calm and their pace eased. The assumption that the others had simply gotten separated and lost became the accepted explanation until a disturbing discovery near evening.

The air about them seemed to still as they all stared at the body hanging limply from the tree.

"That's Shin," Uchi spoke what they were all thinking. "How could he have gotten this far ahead of us?"

"I don't see any blood," Gohei spoke thoughtfully. "Someone cut him down, see if he's still alive."

Two men climbed up and cut the man free, catching his body before it could thump to the ground.

"He's still alive," one of them said and Gohei shoved Kaoru into someone's grasp as he stalked over.

Cold water and a few slaps on the face revived the man who leaped up in wild panic. It took four to pin him down.

"Shin, snap out of it!" Gohei slapped him roughly. "Tell us what happened."

"It's coming," the man gasped. "It's going to kill us all!"

"What's coming?" Uchi demanded.

"Eyes like fire," he whimpered. "Claws like steel. It's not human!"

"Oni," someone murmured.

"Then why leave him alive?" Gohei growled.

"It hunts us all," Shin whimpered before slipping into unconsciousness again.

"Look at this, Gohei," Uchi said as he pulled at Shin's torn gi. "The cuts seem deep, but there's no blood."

"Nasty blow," Gohei echoed as he stared at the deep gashes across Shin's chest.

"You have to admit, it's unsettling," Uchi murmured.

"We better keep moving," Gohei growled. Somebody shouldered the injured man and the group shuffled off, swords drawn and edgy.

Why? Why is he here? It was obvious he was hunting them. Not just hunting, no he was stalking them methodically and with intent. Was it possible the shadow she had seen the night before had been the savage Oni? It had to be for that was the night Shin disappeared. She shivered as she remembered how she had fallen directly into his path, yet he had done nothing but stand there and stare at her. Would she feel his touch of death with the rest of them? Would her death be all the more painful because she had trespassed on his mountain before?

Why did he spare Shin? Why leave him for them to find him and alive as well?

"He wanted you to know," she said without thinking and Gohei glanced over at her.

"What?" he demanded gruffly.

"She's talking about Shin," Uchi spoke up and she glanced over at him. "Yeah I figured it out too, girl. He wants us to know he's hunting us."

"Just keep quiet," Gohei ordered.

They didn't stop when darkness fell. Gohei gripped Kaoru tightly and she could feel his unease.

"Gohei," Uchi whispered.

"Yeah, I feel it. I've got a plan. Send the men off into the trees around this clearing, then follow me."

The men silently dispersed as Gohei dragged Kaoru into the center of the small clearing. He shoved her down to her knees and she looked up startled.

"If you move from that spot," he warned quietly, "Uchi will kill you."

Kaoru blinked as he walked past her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw him meet Uchi at the edge of the clearing behind her. The tall samurai backed into the shadows and Gohei stepped off further into the woods, leaving her very much alone in the circle of white surrounded by death on all sides. The glow of the half moon above illuminated the clearing as if it were a separate world entirely and she was the sole inhabitant. It was eerily silent and Kaoru turned back to gaze wide-eyed into the darkness from which they had first come, understanding dawning on her.

She was bait.

_Please don't come. Whoever you are, please don't come now. They will kill you for certain._

The snow beneath her was numbing to the bone and she shivered uncontrollably, telling herself it was due to the cold, not out of fear. How long did she sit there, waiting for the unknown to come and claim her?

Long after she could no longer feel her extremities, the wind whipped up into a frenzy, a dusting of snow swirling about her and clinging to her loose ebony locks. She felt as though someone was reaching into her and through her, and her breath abandoned her. Just as suddenly as the wind started, it abated and left a stillness that rivaled the calm before a savage storm.

There were eyes upon her, the eyes of a predator, cold and calculating. Hugging her bound hands to her chest, she dared to raise her eyes to the darkness and meet that gaze.

_His eyes burn with golden fire._ Molten amber gold, beautiful and lethal they bore into her from the depths of shadow and she felt the remnants of her strength shred to pieces. He stood just beyond the edge of the clearing, veiled from sight but for his flame-born gaze. After a moment, she heard a wicked rasp like a sword being pulled from its sheath. Moonlight flickered off a length of metal held at his side foreboding death.

_His claws glint silver like steel and blood never clings to him no matter how much he spills._ Kaoru trembled as she realized that the embodiment of the legend stood before her and she was helpless to defend herself.

She blinked and suddenly he was gone. A furious wind rushed past her, whipping her hair away from her face with a whirlwind of snow. The silence was broken by a strangled cry preceding a deafening crash. Kaoru spun on her knees to see the shadowy figure crouched amid an immense cloud of powder. He straightened slowly with feline grace, a body inert at his feet.

_He just took out Uchi_, she realized even as she heard the rush of steps and soon found herself surrounded by fifteen men, swords drawn.

"No mortal can move that fast," someone whispered fearfully.

"He moves like the wind and the trees shiver when he passes by," Kaoru whispered under her breath.

The shadow turned slowly to face them, amber eyes glowing with menace.

"Oni." More than one uttered the word in fearful awe and Kaoru taste their dread.

"Not Oni," Gohei growled. "Battousai."

Kaoru gasped softly_. Battousai. The only reason he would be here is if— is if Kenshin is dead! Kenshin!_ Broken tears pooled in her eyes and slipped down her cheeks. Cold steel tapped her chin and tilted her head up to meet Gohei's wicked stare.

"You're wise to be afraid," he told her with a humorless grin.

"I will never fear him," she said with sharp confidence, her eyes blazing through her tears.

The sharp blade pressed into her throat and she gasped involuntarily.

"Gohei," someone spoke warily and he glanced up at the shadowed form of Battousai who had begun to move again. Moonlight slide like silk down the length of his blade as he sheathed it and shifted slightly in stance.

"I see," Gohei murmured. "You came for her. Get up, girl."

Kaoru stood slowly, the edge of his sword still pressing firmly against her throat. With a flick of his wrist, he could slice her clean through and nothing could save her then, not even the legendary Battousai…not even Oni.

Gohei's fingers wrapped around her arm and his sword dropped away from her as he pulled her back.

"Kill him," he ordered. With a united battle cry, the men surged forth towards the manslayer.

Gohei nearly jerked Kaoru off her feet as he started running away from the furious fight. Kaoru's numb legs screamed as they tried to match his frantic pace.

"You coward!" she cried as he dragged her.

"Shut up," he snapped.

"You'll never escape him!"

"He'll have to get past them first," Gohei growled. "Now move!"

_He knows he can't escape Battousai, so why is he running?_ Her eyes widened as she realized his intent from the start had never changed. He was going to kill her.

Gritting her teeth, she threw her weight sideways, slamming him into a tree. She was rewarded with a solid thunk as his head struck the trunk and his hold on her arm broke. Kaoru stumbled but kept her feet, surprised that her action had worked. A muttered curse told her he was still conscious and she bolted in the direction she hoped might take her into the arms of a manslayer.

She had not lied when she told Gohei she did not fear the manslayer.

_"He was…withdrawn."_

_"He must have suffered great pain."_

_"Why do you say so?"_

_"I do not think he wanted to be a manslayer." _

Kenshin's eyes had widened considerably when she said that. It was quite an amusing expression on him.

_"Miss Kaoru—"_

_"Had he no conscience, he would have suffered no pain, he would have no reason to isolate himself from the people he fought for."_

"_I suppose you are right, Miss Kaoru," he said thoughtfully_

"_A man like him," she murmured, "I think he suffered very much. Maybe he still does."_

She screamed when a solid weight slammed into her, knocking her face first into the snow. Hands seized her shoulders and jerked her onto her back. She instinctively brought her bound hands around forcefully, satisfied when her fists cracked against a jaw.

Gohei hissed. "Why won't you just die!" he shrieked as he seized her throat. Kaoru gasped painfully as she tried to pry his fingers loose. He grinned wickedly at her futile efforts to save herself.

"How I have longed for this moment," he purred as he leaned close and kissed her roughly, loosing his grip on her throat just enough to spare her a moment more. He savored sucking the breath from her, pleasuring in the feel of her body heaving beneath him desperate for the precious air he denied her. Had he time, he would have prolonged her slow death for his amusement so much longer, for days even.

He broke the kiss with a pleasant sigh, smirking down into her pale face as her eyes fluttered on the edge of consciousness.

"Such a shame it has to end so soon," he murmured as his thumb stroked her already bruised throat, his fingers tightening once again in an unbreakable death grip. "Goodbye, Kamiya."

Stillness settled around him and his muscles tensed at the unnatural silence. Slowly raising his gaze, he stared into unbridled fury of fire and it was the last thing he ever saw.


	15. Simply a Man

Disclaimer: I do not own RK.

Simply A Man

Chapter 15

A strangled scream tore from her throat as she bolted upright from darkness. With sightless eyes she clawed at the restriction around her neck only to find the suffocating pain was from within. Panic seized her fully and she gasped and choked for precious air as if she were drowning in a bottomless sea.

Strong arms wrapped around her suddenly, a familiar warmth though she could not recall when she had ever felt it before. She struggled against the new restraint, her fear still clinging to the nightmare she had waken from.

"Shh, girl," a deep voice commanded and she felt inclined to listen. Her panicked gasps subsided into strangled sobs and his arms tightened around her.

"It's okay," Hiko breathed softly to the terrified girl in his arms. "You're safe."

Kaoru sunk against the master swordsman, her tears falling freely and fervently. She was alive. She was alive!

The usually stolid Seijuro Hiko soothed the frantic woman with quiet words and gentle strokes through her long silken hair. He was not a man to suffer fear. There had been times when he worried, like when the boy had abandoned his training to fight in the war. But he knew the boy could take care of himself. Young Kaoru Kamiya was a different story and had secured a special place in his affections…though he would never admit that to anyone.

Leaving her in the hands of those men was the hardest thing he had ever done. He could have caught up with them in a matter of minutes if Yahiko had not been with him. He feared she might never forgive him if he permitted anything to happen to the boy she had already lost once before.

There was a measure of comfort in knowing that Kenshin would be hot on the trail of those men and his fury would be unmatched. His idiot apprentice was now equal to his own skills, worthy of the honor of succeeding him as the fourteenth master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. If not for Kenshin's vow to never kill again, every one of those men would have died a viciously quick death for the harm they had done to the girl. Even still, knowing this had not entirely prepared him for her condition when Kenshin returned with her.

Not for a moment had the boy left her side until now. Hiko had sent him off to fetch some water and clear his head for a time. Just his luck Kaoru would awaken from her nightmares just then.

Her sobs finally subsided into hesitant sniffles and she trembled with each shaky breath, curling into his embrace for reassurance and comfort. This pained moment brought many memories back to the old warrior, of a young red haired boy taunted by the deaths of those he could not protect. There had been many nights back then when he had held the child as he cried quietly for the ones he lost. How grateful he was when the boy finally grew past his fears and memories, but then it became harder to comfort the boy when he still needed reassurance. It was notably easier with women, he decided.

Glancing down at the young girl curled in his embraced, he smiled softly to see she had cried herself back to sleep. He held onto her for a moment longer before rolling her back onto the futon and tucking the blanket around her slender form.

"She's gone back to sleep," he said before he straightened and turned to face the door.

Kenshin's multi-colored eyes remained fixed on the sleeping woman as his master approached him.

Hiko gripped his apprentice's shoulder reassuringly and Kenshin glanced up at him. "Get some sleep before you fall over, moron."

A slight smirk flickered across Kenshin's face as he stared after his master. Hiko might act tough, but he had seen with his own eyes how tenderly his master had held the frightened woman. Shaking his head, Kenshin silently crossed the room to kneel beside her still form.

Her pale face was streaked from the torrent of fresh tears and his heart twisted within his chest. If only he had reached her a moment sooner. The sight of Gohei Hiruma kneeling over her, his filthy hands upon her throat, would forever be burned into his brain. It took all of his strength, all of his love for her to keep from severing the man's head from his body. As it was, he had struck Gohei so hard across the face with his reverse-blade sword that the man would never regain his sight.

Gohei and his men would spend the rest of their days in prison once Saitou arrived to escort them back to Tokyo. The people of the valley would sleep peacefully once again, but Kenshin feared he himself would not for as long as the woman he loved remained injured or in danger. There was still the matter of who the traitor was amongst the resistance's ranks.

Making himself comfortable against the wall within arm's reach of Kaoru, Kenshin closed his eyes and focused on her quiet, erratic breaths until they lulled him into a shallow sleep.

* * *

Soft chirping drew her from her aching dreams and her eyes fluttered open to stare at the ceiling above her. It took her a moment to realize that the sound that woke her was the spiraling song of birds. Spring was returning to the mountain.

Kaoru closed her eyes for a moment. _Spring. The mountain. Kenshin. Is he…Is he really dead?_

"It's about time you woke up," a jovial voice spoke and her eyes shifted to find the speaker.

Laughing brown eyes filled her vision and Kaoru smiled slightly. "Sanosuke, isn't it?"

"You can call me Sano," he grinned. "You sure had us worried for a bit there, Missie."

"Yahiko?"

"Up to no good as usual," he grinned. "You hungry? I've got some soup and uh…" he glanced at the other bowl beside him that held nothing more than crumbs. "There was bread too, but I got kind of hungry waiting for you to wake up. Sorry."

Kaoru laughed softly, wincing at the strain it put on her bruised throat. "It's okay," she said as she pushed herself up.

Sanosuke was quite a pleasant person, she decided as he chatted animatedly while she ate. Most of the renegade swordsmen had been subdued, the danger to the people of the valley all but eliminated. Kaoru was happy to hear of this, but her thoughts were elsewhere, on other men.

"Where is he?" she asked finally and Sano stared blankly at her.

"Who?"

"The Battousai. I-I want to thank him for saving me," she said softly.

Sano stared at her oddly for a moment. "He's down by the river, last I knew."

Kaoru pushed her blankets off and struggled to her feet.

"Are you sure you should be up?" Sano studied her hesitant movements warily.

Once her head cleared, she felt her feet firm beneath her. Glancing down at Sano, she smiled sadly. "I'll be all right."

Sano watched her shuffle out of the room for a moment before turning his attention back to her soup. _Hmm. I wonder if she was planning on finishing that…_

* * *

The sun was warm upon her face and she paused for a moment to smile up at the sky…finally, an end to the long cold winter. Curling a hand over her heart, she wondered if it would ever be the end of winter within as well. She had Yahiko back, true, but it was no longer enough.

Smoke curled up into the blue sky from beyond the cabin, so Kaoru knew Hiko was back at his kiln as usual. She would speak to him later. Right now, she only wanted to see the man who had saved her from the very edge of death, the man who had stalked Gohei across the forbidden mountain through the frozen nights to protect her.

There were many tracks trampling the path to the river, but there was no one to be found when the free-flowing waters came into view. _Could Sano have been wrong? Or maybe I just missed him_. Her shoulders slumping at this possibility, she shuffled across the snow-patched ground and sunk onto a boulder heated by the brilliant sun. For a moment she sat in silence and stared into the icy waters trying to piece her thoughts together.

What if he had been here? What would she have said? It wasn't like she knew him, and yet he had come for her. How did he even know she was in trouble? And what happened to Kenshin? She should have asked Sanosuke, but she was afraid. A part of her hoped the Battousai would reveal the fate of her beloved in explaining why he had come for her himself. But then, that may be expecting too much from a man Kenshin had described as 'withdrawn'.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" a voice spoke and she snapped her head around to see Eiji reclining on a boulder a few feet away. He had been shadowed by the trees thus the reason she had not seen him.

"Eiji," she said in surprise.

"You look well, Miss Kaoru," he smiled at her. "Healthier."

She pushed herself up from her rock and took a step towards him. "I heard that the resistance was successful."

He nodded, his smile looking almost strained. "There are a few who remain to be captured still, but it isn't likely the villages will have to fear as they did."

"I heard that there was a traitor who kept Gohei and his men informed of the resistance's plans, that there was an ambush. I'm relieved to see you survived."

Mixed emotions flickered through the samurai's eyes and his left hand curled around the sheath of his katana where it had been resting casually. "You are kind, Miss Kaoru. Too kind, I think."

Kaoru stared at him in confusion for a moment, studying his tense posture, the odd expression on his face…

"It was you," she gasped as she took a step back.

He stared at her silently for a moment before another thin smile flickered across his face. "There isn't much of a life for men like me in this era of peace, Miss Kaoru. I'm just a relic of the revolution. I've lived by the sword for too long. One needs to eat, don't you agree?"

"Y-yes," she said hesitantly, taking another step back when he pushed himself off the boulder.

"I did it for the money," he told her as he stepped towards her, suddenly stopping a few feet away. His expression turned thoughtful. "But then I met you."

Kaoru blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Gohei never stopped talking about the little girl who marked his face before she escaped him. He wanted her badly and when two men showed up cursing a defiant little wench, Gohei sent me to find her. They also talked about encountering a fiery beast and I knew I was going to be trekking up the forbidden mountain to discover if the wench they talked about was the one who got away."

"But Kenshin—"

"The resistance really did need a man like him if they were to stand a chance against us, and I needed to get him away from you so Gohei would get his chance at you. But Himura took you off somewhere and I didn't know where he hid you before coming down to the valley. And by then…" he drifted off for a moment and his eyes softened. "I didn't want Gohei to find you by then anyway."

"Then how—"

"I wasn't the only spy Gohei had in the ranks. They followed Sagara when he brought the boy up the mountain to be with you. That was how Gohei found you." He fell silent and stared down at his feet.

"All those people," she spoke softly and the samurai sighed.

"I have been blood guilty for years, Miss Kaoru. A few more lives didn't seem to matter until I met you." He lifted his gaze and fixed her with a quizzical stare. "You loved him so completely, even knowing what he had been."

"It only matters what he is now," she answered him softly.

"And what is he?"

Kaoru hesitated for a moment and then lifted her chin, her bright eyes meeting his boldly. "He is the man that I love."

Eiji's stare turned wistful. "Do you suppose, Miss Kaoru, that there is another woman as forgiving as you out there?"

Kaoru hazard a faint smile. "I always believed that if you seek forgiveness, it will find you."

He reflected her smile for a moment before his eyes shifted to gaze over her shoulder. "Do not worry, Battousai," he said though his eyes were wary. "I do not intend to harm her."

Kaoru's eyes widened and she restrained herself from spinning around to see the man that had approached so silently behind her. A fierce aura was making itself felt and Eiji was not unaffected. Finally his eyes shifted back to her.

"I hope you will forgive **me** one day, Miss Kaoru." He bowed deeply to her and then turned away from the river. As she watched his back disappear from view, she could not help but hope that he would find the redemption and forgiveness he longed for. He very well might become to another woman as Kenshin had become to her. _Kenshin. _Her heart ached in memory.

"I wanted to thank you for saving my life," she said softly to the presence she could feel behind her.

"Did you mean what you said?"

She stiffened as the familiar voice washed over her. Hesitantly, she turned around to meet his intense violet stare.

"Y-yes."

He stared at her for a moment, emotion flickering through his dark gaze as she had seldom seen before. With two steps he closed the distance between them and reached up to wipe at the tears that were beginning to trickle from her eyes.

"You are alive," she whispered as she gazed up at him through her blurring vision.

A soft smile curled his lips. "I told you I would come for you, in one form or another." There was no hesitation on his part, no barriers, no fears, nothing to keep him from giving her all of him and she opened her heart fully to embrace everything that he was as he brought his lips to hers.

He held nothing back, drinking of her essence fiercely like a dying man and she clung helplessly to him. Everything she kept sheltered deep inside shattered and bared itself to his touch, his claim. When he broke from her, both were breathing heavily and his eyes were intense with golden fire. Desire, rage, and love were a perfect swirl of molten emotion and openly exposed for her to see.

Kaoru had no desire to ever free herself from his tight embrace, thrilling in the comfort of his warmth and fearing none of his fierce passion. He possessed her completely and she would never deny the hold he had on her heart and soul. She loved him for everything that he was; Battousai, Rurouni, and…

"You were always watching over me," she whispered and he smirked impishly.

"You were in my domain."

"And now?"

He leaned his forehead against hers, his glowing eyes intent on her petal pink lips. "And now you will stay there." He moved to kiss her and she drew back, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

"Only if you stay with me," she said.

The brilliant sapphire eyes that sparkled at him did not belong to a broken woman. They were the eyes of a woman whole and in love and they were beautiful to behold.

"Always," he swore as he leaned in and successfully captured her lips again. The fire that had remained dormant within her sparked and flamed and she wrapped her arms around his neck to keep him close to share in the warmth he had awakened from her failing heart. She would be his salvation even as he had been hers.

Oni of the forbidden mountain was a creature born of fire.

He was not a monster.

He was simply a man.

And she loved him.

_**- End -**_


End file.
